1, the origin

History, this day is the Chinese lunar calendar on the eighth day of the twelfth month, because he is the Shakyamuni, and then the Buddhists honored him as Shakyamuni, that is, Shakyamuni saint of the meaning. After the introduction of Buddhism into our country, the construction of monasteries around the world, cooking porridge to honor the Buddha's activities also prevailed, especially to the eighth day of the first month of the lunar calendar, the worship of Sakyamuni practice to become the day of the road.

The monasteries are to be held chanting, and follow the example of the shepherdess in the Buddha before the completion of the offering of a kind of "milk" of the legend of the program, cooking congee to honor the Buddha. This is the origin of Laha congee.

2, customs

Laha Festival in the northern Shaanxi plateau, porridge in addition to a variety of rice, beans, but also to add a variety of dried fruits, tofu and meat mixed into. After eating, but also the porridge will be smeared on the door, stove and outside the door on the tree, in order to drive away evil spirits to avoid disasters, to meet the next year's agricultural harvest. Moreover, the day avoid eating vegetables. If you eat vegetables on this day, there will be many weeds in the crop field.

Jiangsu people eat Laha congee sweet and salty. The congee is made with water chestnuts, water chestnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, gravy, jujubes, chestnuts, fungus, bok choy, and enoki mushrooms. If you are cooking savory porridge, just add bok choy and oil to it.

Zhejiang people cook Laha congee with walnuts, pine nuts, lotus seeds, jujubes, cinnamon meat, lychee meat, etc., sweet and flavorful. It is said that this method of cooking congee is still handed down from Nanjing.