What has been passed down since eating Laba porridge?

Eating Laba porridge to celebrate the harvest has been passed down to this day. In ancient times, on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the custom of eating "Laba porridge" (called "laba rice" in some places) spread among the people in China.

Laba porridge, like laba rice, is a relic of ancient wax sacrifice. "Special Sacrifice to the Suburb" says that the wax sacrifice is "December of a year, gathering all things for food". Laba porridge is a mixture of food from all directions and cooked in a pot with rice, which means bringing together everything and harmonizing thousands of spirits.

The origin of Laba Festival

The most important month of the twelfth lunar month, the eighth day of December, was called "La Ri" in ancient times, commonly known as "Laba Festival". Laba is an ancient ritual to celebrate the harvest and thank ancestors and gods (including door gods, household gods, house gods, kitchen gods and well gods). Laba in Xia Dynasty was called Jiaping, Qing Sacrifice in Shang Dynasty and Da Wax in Zhou Dynasty. Because it is held in December, it is called the twelfth lunar month, and La Worship is called the twelfth lunar month.

The twelfth lunar month in the pre-Qin period is the third day to the day after beginning of winter. Laba Festival is a festival to worship ancestors and gods and pray for good harvest and good luck. Later, Buddhism was introduced in the Eastern Han Dynasty. In order to expand its local influence, traditional culture attached to Laba Festival as the Buddha's enlightenment day. It is said that the founder of Buddhism realized enlightenment on the eighth day of December, so Laba is also a Buddhist festival, called Buddhist Enlightenment Festival.