Laba is December 8th of the Chinese lunar calendar. On this day, people have the custom of drinking Laba porridge. The origin and formation of this custom are closely related to Buddhism.

Legend has it that before Buddha Sakyamuni attained enlightenment and became an immortal, he visited famous mountains and rivers in search of the truth of life. One day, due to fatigue from the journey and hunger and thirst, Sakyamuni fainted beside the sparsely populated Nilian River. Later, a shepherdess discovered him. The shepherdess cooked fragrant porridge with the various grains she brought with her, as well as the wild fruits she collected, and the clear and sweet spring water, and fed him bite by bite to revive him. After waking up, Sakyamuni sat in meditation under the bodhi tree and finally achieved enlightenment on December 8th of the lunar calendar. In order to commemorate this meaningful day, the monks in the temple cooked porridge with whole grains and offered it in front of the Buddha statue every December 8th of the lunar calendar. Folks also followed suit one after another, and it became a custom over time. By the Qing Dynasty, the custom of eating "Laba porridge" became more popular. The royal family also cooked porridge and offered it to Yonghe Temple. The etiquette of making porridge and offering it was very particular. The Laba porridge in Yonghe Temple is sponsored by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and a meal of porridge costs one hundred thousand taels of silver! After cooking, it was first presented to the emperor respectfully, and then presented to the princes and ministers respectively. Anyone who gets such a bowl of porridge will think it is a very honorable thing.

The specific method of making Laba porridge is: put the whole grains and porridge fruits that have been soaked in advance separately, add water and boil them. The whole grains include rice, millet, glutinous rice, barley, barley, red beans, broad beans, etc. The porridge fruits include chestnuts, red dates, walnuts, longan, etc. While cooking, stir constantly with a long-handled spoon. Those who are more particular should prepare a separate plate of fruit ingredients, such as melon seeds, almonds, pine nuts, raisins, candied fruits, and green and red shreds, which are meant to be placed on the porridge.

In the past, among the people, every family cooked porridge on Laba day, but every family would go to great lengths to serve porridge to relatives, friends and neighbors. At this time, the meaning of drinking "Laba porridge" has changed. It is for people to celebrate the harvest, the prosperity of agriculture, and to share the fruits of labor. In fact, the day of Laba falls on the ninth day of winter, and as the saying goes, "The chin falls off from the cold on Laba, the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month." At this time, drinking a bowl of sweet, sticky and steaming Laba porridge is also very beneficial from the perspective of hygiene and health. Whole grains are rich in starch and protein, and red dates can strengthen the spleen and blood. After these items are heated and cooked, they not only facilitate people to absorb nutrients, but also can repel cold and warm up the body. They are really good nourishing products in winter. Nowadays, the custom of eating porridge in Laba is still popular. In the twelfth lunar month of the lunar calendar, "Laba rice" in small packages that have been prepared is available on the market, which is very convenient.

Laba is the last festival of the year and the prelude to the Spring Festival. Fifteen days after Laba, it is the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month. "Twenty-three, sugar melon and sticky seeds. Twenty-four, clean the house." People are busy preparing for the Spring Festival again, and the new year is about to begin.

In addition to activities to worship ancestors and gods during the Laba Festival, people also have to fight against epidemics. This activity originated from the ancient Nuo (ancient ritual to drive away ghosts and avoid epidemics). One of the medical methods in prehistoric times was to expel ghosts and cure diseases. As a witchcraft activity, the custom of beating drums in the twelfth lunar month to ward off epidemics still exists in Xinhua and other areas of Hunan.

On the day of Laba, it is customary to eat Laba porridge. Laba porridge is also called Qibao and five-flavor porridge. The history of eating Laba porridge in our country has been more than a thousand years. It first started in the Song Dynasty. On every Laba day, no matter the court, government, monasteries or ordinary people's homes, they must make Laba porridge. In the Qing Dynasty, the custom of drinking Laba porridge became even more popular. In the palace, the emperor, empress, prince, etc. would give Laba porridge to the ministers of civil and military affairs and the attendant maids, and distribute rice, fruits, etc. to various temples for the monks to eat. Among the people, every family also makes Laba porridge to worship their ancestors; at the same time, families gather together to eat it and give it to relatives and friends. There are many different styles of Laba porridge in various parts of China. Among them, Peiping's is the most particular. There are many items mixed with white rice, such as red dates, lotus seeds, walnuts, chestnuts, almonds, pine nuts, longan, hazelnuts, grapes, ginkgo, water chestnuts, green hair, roses, red beans, peanuts...the total is no less. Twenty kinds. People get busy on the night of the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, washing rice, soaking fruits, peeling, removing cores, sorting and then starting to cook at midnight, then simmering over low heat until the early morning of the next day. I'm done. People who are more particular about it will first carve the fruits into human shapes, animals, and patterns, and then boil them in a pot. The more unique thing is to put fruit lion in Laba porridge. Fruit lion is a lion-shaped object made of several kinds of fruits. The crispy dates with the date cores removed and dried are used as the lion's body, half a walnut kernel is used as the lion's head, the peach kernel is used as the lion's feet, and the sweet almond is used as the lion's tail. Then stick them together with sugar and put them in the porridge bowl, looking like a little lion. If the bowl is larger, you can put two lions or four small lions on it. What's even more exquisite is to use food with various colors such as date paste, bean paste, yam, hawthorn cake, etc. to make statues of the Eight Immortals, the Longevity Star, and the Arhat. This kind of decorated Laba porridge can only be seen on the altar tables of large temples in the past. After the Laba porridge is cooked, you must first worship the gods and ancestors. If you want to give it to relatives and friends later, you must send it out before noon. Finally, the whole family eats it. Leftover Laba porridge, if you keep it for a few days and still have it left over, it is a good sign, which means there will be more than enough every year. If you give porridge to poor people, it will be a good thing for yourself. Laba porridge also has witchcraft effects among the people. If there are flowers and fruit trees planted in the yard, you should also apply some Laba porridge on the branches. I believe it will bear more fruits in the coming year.

On the day of Laba, in addition to worshiping ancestors and gods, there are also mourning and mourning for the country's subjugation. (World Food Network)

The legend of Laba porridge

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Chinese people have the custom of eating Laba porridge. It is said that Laba porridge came from India. The founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni, was originally the son of King Suddhodana of Kapilavastu in ancient northern India (now in Nepal). Seeing that all living beings were suffering from birth, old age, illness, and death, he was dissatisfied with the theocratic rule of Brahmins at that time, so he gave up his throne and became a monk to practice Taoism. There was no harvest at first, but after six years of asceticism, on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, he enlightened and became a Buddha under the bodhi tree. During these six years of asceticism, he only ate one hemp and one meter a day. Later generations will not forget his suffering and eat porridge on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month as a commemoration. "Laba" has become the "Anniversary of Buddha's Enlightenment".

"Laba" is a grand Buddhist festival. Before liberation, Buddhist temples in various places held Buddha bathing meetings and chanted sutras. They also imitated the legend of the shepherdess offering chyle before Sakyamuni attained enlightenment. They used fragrant grains, fruits, etc. to cook porridge for the Buddha, which was called "Laba porridge". He gave Laba porridge to his disciples and faithful men and women, and it became a custom among the people. It is said that before the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in some temples, monks hold alms bowls and go alms along the streets, cooking the collected rice, chestnuts, dates, nuts and other materials into Laba porridge and distributing it to the poor. Legend has it that after eating it, you can get blessings from the Buddha, so the poor call it "Buddha porridge". Lu You's poem in the Southern Song Dynasty goes: "Nowadays, Buddhas feed each other more porridge, while Juejiang Village keeps new things." It is said that there is a "restaurant" for storing leftovers in Tianning Temple, a famous temple in Hangzhou. Normally, the monks dry the leftovers in the sun every day and accumulate a On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the remaining grain of the year is cooked into Laba porridge and distributed to believers. It is called "Fushou porridge" and "Fushou porridge", which means that after eating it, it can increase happiness and longevity. It can be seen that the monks at that time cherished the virtue of food.

Laba porridge was cooked with red beans and glutinous rice in ancient times. Later, the ingredients gradually increased. Zhou Mi of the Southern Song Dynasty wrote "Old Martial Arts": "Porridge made from walnuts, pine nuts, milk mushrooms, persimmon mushrooms, persimmon chestnuts, etc. is called 'Laba porridge'". To this day, people in the vast areas south of the Yangtze River, northeast, and northwest of my country still retain the custom of eating Laba porridge, but it is rare in Guangdong. The ingredients used vary, and glutinous rice, red beans, dates, chestnuts, peanuts, ginkgo, lotus seeds, lilies, etc. are often used to cook sweet porridge. There are also those that add longan, longan meat, candied fruit and the like. Eating a steaming bowl of Laba porridge in winter is delicious and nutritious, and can indeed increase happiness and longevity. (China Spring Festival Network)

Laba porridge food customs in various places

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, folk custom calls it Laba porridge. It is the first festival before the Spring Festival. Since then, the "New Year flavor" has become increasingly rich. stand up. The custom of eating Laba rice porridge has been in our country for thousands of years, and it has a unique origin.

According to legend, in the northern part of ancient India, which is today’s southern Nepal, there was King Suddhodana in Kapilavastu. He had a son named Siddhartha Gautama. Suffering from all kinds of sufferings, illness and death, he found that social life was futile and was extremely dissatisfied with the theocratic power of Brahmanism. Therefore, when he was 29 years old, he abandoned the luxurious life of the royal family, became a monk, practiced yoga, and practiced asceticism for 6 years. , about 525 BC, one day under a Bodhi tree in Buddha Gaya, he became enlightened and founded Buddhism. According to historical records, this day happened to be the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in the Chinese lunar calendar. Since he was a member of the Sakyamuni tribe, Buddhists later honored him as Sakyamuni, which means a saint of the Sakyamuni tribe. After Buddhism was introduced to our country, temples were built in various places, and the activity of cooking porridge to worship the Buddha became popular. Especially on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, when Sakyamuni attained enlightenment, all temples would hold sutra chanting and follow the example of the pastor. There is a legend that a woman would offer a kind of "chylo" to the Buddha before he became enlightened, and cook porridge to worship the Buddha. This is the origin of Laba porridge.

Wu Zimu of the Song Dynasty wrote "Meng Liang Lu" Volume 6: "On the eighth day, the temple calls it 'Laba'. Dasha Temple and other temples all serve five-flavor porridge, which is called 'Laba porridge'." At this time, Laba porridge Cooking porridge has become a folk custom, but at that time, the emperor also used it to win over his ministers. Sun Guochi of the Yuan Dynasty wrote "Yandu Tour Chronicles" and said: "On December 8, all officials were given porridge, which was made of rice and fruits. The one who tasted more was the winner. This story follows the story of the Song Dynasty." "Yongle Dadian" "It is recorded that "on the eighth day of the month, which the Zen masters call Laba Day, we cooked sutra porridge to feed the Buddha and the monks." In the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Shizong in the third year of Yongzheng's reign (1725 AD) changed the residence east of the Guozijian in Andingmen, Beijing, into the Lama Temple. Every Laba day, Laba porridge was cooked in a pot and lama monks were invited to Wanfu Pavilion and other places in the palace. Chant sutras, and then distribute the porridge to the palace ministers to taste and eat to celebrate the festival. "Guangxu Shuntianfu Zhi" also says: "On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month of each year, Yonghe officials cooked porridge, customized it, sent ministers to monitor it, and served it as a meal." Laba porridge is also called "Qibao porridge" and "five-flavor porridge." The earliest Laba porridge was cooked with red beans. Later, it evolved and became more colorful with local characteristics. Zhou Mi, a literati in the Southern Song Dynasty, wrote "Old Wulin Stories": "Using walnuts, pine nuts, butternut squash, persimmons, chestnuts, etc. to make porridge is called Laba porridge." Fucha Dunchong, a Qing Dynasty man, said in "The Records of the Years in Yanjing" that " For Laba porridge, yellow rice, white rice, glutinous rice, millet, water chestnuts, chestnuts, peeled jujube paste, etc. are cooked with water, and externally dyed with red peach kernels, almonds, melon seeds, peanuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, white sugar, brown sugar, and soybean paste. "Grapes are used for dyeing", which is quite characteristic of the capital city.

Tianjin people cook Laba porridge similar to those in Beijing. Those who are more particular may add lotus seeds, lilies, pearl rice, Italian rice, barley kernels, sticky rice, sticky yellow rice, cloud beans, mung beans, and longan meat. , longan meat, ginkgo, red dates and sweet-scented osmanthus, etc., all have good color, aroma and taste. In recent years, black rice has also been added.

This kind of Laba porridge can be used as a dietary therapy. It has the functions of strengthening the spleen, appetizing, replenishing qi, calming the nerves, clearing the heart, and nourishing the blood.

Shanxi’s Laba porridge, also known as eight-treasure porridge, is mainly made of millet, with cowpeas, adzuki beans, mung beans, jujubes, and sticky yellow rice, rice, glutinous rice, etc. In the southeastern Shanxi region, on the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, adzuki beans, red beans, cowpeas, sweet potatoes, peanuts, glutinous rice, persimmons, and water are used to cook porridge, also called sweet rice, which is also one of the food customs.

Northern Shaanxi Plateau On Laba Day, in addition to using a variety of rice and beans, various dried fruits, tofu and meat must be added to make porridge. It is usually cooked in the morning and can be either sweet or salty, depending on one's taste. If it is eaten at lunch, some noodles should be cooked in the porridge and the whole family can have a meal together. After eating, the porridge should be smeared on the door, the stove and the trees outside the door to ward off evil spirits and avoid disasters and welcome a bumper agricultural harvest in the coming year. According to folklore, it is forbidden to eat vegetables on Laba day, as there will be many weeds in the crops. People in southern Shaanxi eat mixed porridge during Laba, which is divided into "five flavors" and "eight flavors". The former is cooked with rice, glutinous rice, peanuts, ginkgo nuts and beans. The latter uses the above five raw materials plus diced meat, tofu, radish, and condiments. On Laba Day, in addition to eating Laba porridge, people also use the porridge to worship ancestors and granaries.

Gansu people traditionally cook Laba porridge with grains and vegetables. After cooking, it is not only eaten by the family, but also distributed to neighbors and used to feed livestock. In Lanzhou and Baiyin City areas, Laba porridge is cooked very carefully, using rice, beans, red dates, ginkgo, lotus seeds, raisins, dried apricots, dried melons, walnut kernels, green and red shreds, white sugar, diced meat, etc. After cooking, it is first used to worship the door god, kitchen god, earth god, and wealth god, and pray for good weather and abundant harvests in the coming year; then it is distributed to relatives and neighbors, and finally the whole family enjoys it. The Wuwei area of ??Gansu Province pays attention to "vegetarian Laba", eating thick rice, lentil rice or thick rice. After cooking, it is eaten with fried rice dumplings and twists. The folk custom calls it "lentil porridge soaked rice".

Ningxia people generally use lentils, soybeans, red beans, broad beans, black beans, rice, and potatoes to make porridge, plus "wheat ears" made of wheat noodles or buckwheat noodles cut into rhombus-shaped willow leaves. Or make the "bird's head" into a small round egg, and add green onion oil before taking it out of the pan. On this day, the whole family only eats Laba rice and no vegetables.

Although the majority of Xining people in Qinghai are Han, they do not eat porridge in Laba, but wheat kernel rice. Boil the newly ground wheat kernels with beef and mutton, add green salt, ginger peel, pepper, grass fruit, Miaoxiang and other condiments. Simmer over a slow fire overnight until the meat and wheat blend into a chylo-like shape. Uncover the pot in the morning. The aroma is fragrant and delicious to eat.

In Shandong's "Confucius Food System", it is stipulated that "Laba porridge" can be divided into two types. One is made from Italian rice kernels, longan, lotus seeds, lilies, chestnuts, red dates, japonica rice, etc., and is filled with Some "porridge fruits" are also added to the bowl, which are mainly fruits carved into various shapes for decoration. This kind of porridge is specially eaten by the masters of Confucius and Twelve Houses. The other kind is cooked with rice, meat slices, cabbage, tofu, etc., and is given to the servants in Confucius' mansion.

Henan people eat Laba rice, which is cooked with eight raw materials including millet, mung beans, cowpeas, wheat kernels, peanuts, red dates, and corn. After it is cooked, some brown sugar and walnut kernels are added. The porridge is thick and fragrant. I wish you a good harvest in the coming year.

In the Jiangsu region, there are two types of Laba porridge, sweet and salty, and the cooking methods are the same. It’s just that salty porridge is made with vegetables and oil. When Suzhou people cook Laba porridge, they add mushrooms, water chestnuts, walnut kernels, pine nuts, gorgon seeds, red dates, chestnuts, fungus, green vegetables, enoki mushrooms, etc. Li Fu, a Suzhou scholar in the Qing Dynasty, once wrote a poem: "The porridge on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month was passed down from the Brahma Kingdom. It is a beautiful blend of seven treasures and mixed with five flavors."

Zhejiang people generally cook Laba porridge with walnut kernels, pine nuts, Gorgon seeds, lotus seeds, red dates, longan meat, lychee meat, etc. are sweet and delicious. Eat them to pray for a long life. It is said that this method of cooking porridge was spread from Nanjing, and there are many legends in it.

Sichuan has a large population. Laba porridge can be made in a variety of ways, including sweet, salty and spicy. Rural people eat more salty porridge, which is mainly made with soybeans, peanuts, diced meat, white radish and carrots. Foreigners come here to taste it. Although they follow the local customs, it is difficult to get used to it. Nowadays, many urban people eat sweet porridge, which can be said to have different flavors. Laba and porridge are closely related, and when you drink porridge in Laba, you can drink it in a variety of ways and at a high level.

Chinese people love Laba porridge so much. Apart from food customs, there are indeed some scientific reasons. Cao Yanshan, a nutritionist in the Qing Dynasty, wrote "Porridge Book", which gave a detailed and clear explanation of the fitness and nutritional functions of Laba porridge. It regulates nutrition and is easy to absorb. It is a good "diet therapy" product. It has the functions of harmonizing the stomach, tonifying the spleen, nourishing the heart, clearing the lungs, It has the functions of nourishing the kidneys, benefiting the liver, quenching thirst, improving eyesight, laxative and calming the nerves. These have been confirmed by modern medicine. For the elderly, Laba porridge is also a beneficial delicacy, but they should also be careful not to drink too much. In fact, not only Laba, but also eating porridge is of great benefit to the elderly. There are also many varieties of porridge, which can vary from person to person. You can choose according to your needs and eat them as appropriate. (Fujian Hotline)

Laba Tofu

"Laba Tofu" is a folk specialty in Qianxian County, Anhui Province. On the eve of the Spring Festival, Laba tofu, which is around the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, every household in Qianxian County makes it. To make tofu in the sun, the people call this naturally sun-dried tofu "Laba Tofu".

Emerald Jasper Laba Garlic

Soaking Laba Garlic is a custom in the north, especially in North China. As the name suggests, garlic is brewed on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. In fact, the ingredients are very simple, just vinegar and garlic cloves.

The method is also extremely simple. Put the peeled garlic cloves into a container that can be sealed, such as a jar or bottle, then pour vinegar into it, seal it and put it in a cold place. Slowly, the garlic soaked in vinegar will turn green, and eventually it will become completely green, like emerald jasper.

Cooking "Five Beans"

In some places, it is not called "Laba Porridge" but "Five Beans". Some cook it on the day of Laba, and some cook it on Laba Day. It is cooked on the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, and some "bird heads" are made with flour and cooked with rice and beans (five kinds of beans). It is said that if people eat "sparrow heads" in Laba, the sparrows will have headaches and will not harm their crops in the coming year. The cooked "five beans" are not only eaten by oneself, but also given to relatives and neighbors. Make it hot and eat it with meals every day until the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, which symbolizes more than enough for many years.

Laba Noodles

In some places in northern my country that do not produce or produce little rice, people do not eat Laba porridge, but eat Laba noodles. The next day, make sautee with various fruits and vegetables, roll out the noodles, and on the morning of the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the whole family will eat Laba noodles.