Customs of Laha Festival

Lapa Festival, commonly known as "Lapa", the eighth day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar every year, all over China will be in a variety of forms to meet the Lapa Festival. The word "Lahai" originated in the North and South Dynasties period, when it was also known as "Lahai", originally a Buddhist festival, and then evolved through the ages, gradually becoming a household name for folk festivals. The first is to drink congee, which is naturally the most important custom of the Lahai Festival.

Customs of Lapa

Origin

The end of the month called "Lapa" has three meanings: First, "Lapa, take also", meaning that there is a new and old mean (the "Sui book - rituals," recorded); Second, "Lapa with the hunting". "waxer with hunting", refers to the field hunting to get animals and birds good ancestral sacrifice to the gods, "wax" from the "meat" side, is to use meat "winter festival "; three said that "the wax, the epidemic to welcome the spring", Lahai Festival is also known as the "Buddha into a festival", also known as "into a meeting", can be said to be the first eight days of December for the original origin of Lahai. La Day of the original origin.

Laha congee

Laha congee is also called "seven treasures and five flavors porridge". The history of drinking Laha congee in China has been more than a thousand years. Every Laha day, whether it is the court, the government, the temple or the people's home to do Laha congee. In the Qing Dynasty, the custom of drinking Laha congee was even more prevalent. In the court, the emperor, the empress, the emperor's son and so on to the civil and military ministers, court ladies give Laha congee, and to the various monasteries to distribute rice and fruit for the monks to eat. In folklore, families also make Laba congee to honor their ancestors.

Laha congee is not only a ritual, but also a seasonal food and a good health food, especially suitable for maintaining the spleen and stomach in the cold weather. However, the ingredients of Laha congee vary from region to region. Despite the differences, everyone's preference for Laha congee is the same. It is worth mentioning that Laha is not only Laha congee, but also Laha tofu, Laha garlic and Laha noodles, all of which are foods concocted for the specific time of Laha.

Fu

Chinese people are so fond of Laha congee, food customs, there are some scientific reasons. Qing Dynasty nutritionist Cao Yanshan wrote "porridge spectrum", the fitness and nutritional function of Laha congee exhaustive, clear, regulate nutrition, easy to absorb, is a "therapeutic" good, and stomach, tonic spleen, nourish the heart, clear the lungs, benefit the kidneys, benefit the liver, thirst, eyesight, bowel movements, tranquilize the role of the spirit.