What festival is Laba?

Laba Festival, a traditional festival in China, commonly known as Laba, is celebrated on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month and is mainly popular in northern China. The custom of this festival is to drink Laba porridge. Laba is one of the grand festivals in Buddhism, and it is also the day when Buddha Sakyamuni became a monk and became a Taoist, also known as "magic weapon festival", "Buddhist and Taoist festival" and "Taoist meeting". The word "Laba" originated in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, when it was also called "Laba". Originally a Buddhist festival, it has gradually become a household name through the evolution of several generations.

Laba porridge, also known as "seven treasures and five flavors porridge", "Buddha porridge" and "everyone's meal", is a kind of porridge made of various ingredients. The earliest written record of Laba porridge was in the Song Dynasty. Wu's Dream in the Southern Song Dynasty says: "On the eighth day of this month, the temple name is Laba. Dasha and other temples have five-flavored porridge called Laba porridge. " China has been drinking Laba porridge for more than 1000 years. On Laba Day, government agencies, monasteries and ordinary people's homes will cook Laba porridge. In the Qing Dynasty, the custom of drinking Laba porridge became more popular.

In northern China, there is a saying that "children should not be greedy, it is the year after Laba", which means the prelude to the Chinese New Year. Every Laba Festival, the northern region is busy peeling garlic to make vinegar, soaking Laba garlic and eating Laba porridge. Laba is rarely mentioned in the south, and Laba Festival is a typical northern festival.