Origin of the custom of drinking Lapa congee and soaking Lapa garlic: the history of drinking Lapa congee has been more than a thousand years. The earliest began in the Song Dynasty. Every Lahai day, whether the court, government, temples or the people's homes to do Lahai 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, fruit and so on for the monks to eat. In the folk, every family should also do Laha congee, worship ancestors; at the same time, the family reunion together to eat, gifts to friends and relatives. All over China, the pattern of Lapa congee, competition, a variety of varieties. One of the most elaborate in Beiping, mixed in the white rice in more items, such as dates, lotus seeds, walnuts, chestnuts, almonds, pine nuts, cinnamon, hazelnuts, grapes, white fruit, horn, green silk, roses, red beans, peanuts ...... total of no less than twenty kinds. After the congee is boiled, it is necessary to honor the gods and ancestors first. After that, it should be presented to friends and relatives, and must be sent out before noon. Finally, it is eaten by the whole family. The leftover Laha congee, kept for a few days after eating there are still left, but a good omen, to take its meaning of "year after year".
Cao Yanshan, a nutritionist in the Qing Dynasty, wrote "porridge spectrum", the fitness and nutritional function of Laha congee exhaustive, clear, regulate nutrition, easy to absorb, is a "therapeutic" good, and the stomach, replenish the spleen, nourish the heart, clear the lungs, beneficial to the kidneys, the liver, thirst, eyesight, bowel movements, and tranquilizing the role of the spirit. These have been confirmed by modern medicine. For the elderly, Laha congee is also beneficial food, but should also pay attention to should not drink more. In fact, not only Lahai, plain porridge, the elderly is also very beneficial. The variety of porridge is also quite a lot, can be different from person to person, according to the need to choose, discretionary consumption.