Lunar Lunar Festival is a colorful festival, which is the prologue of Spring Festival as well as the anniversary of the Buddha's attainment of enlightenment. It is also the anniversary of Buddha's attainment of enlightenment, and its formation is related to the ancient winter festival.

In ancient times, the words "wax" and "wax" were basically used to refer to the winter rituals for gods and ancestors. Since such sacrifices were held in December, December was called the "month of wax" or the "month of wax". Since the Han Dynasty, the third eleventh day after the winter solstice is the "Waxing Day" (i.e., the day of the winter festival). Since the North and South Dynasties, the eighth day of the twelfth month of the year was changed to "Waxing Day", also known as "Waxing Day" or "Waxing Festival". From then on, Lapa Festival will be fixed in the eighth day of the twelfth month.

The customs of Lahai Festival, there are two main ancient. One is the sacrifice to the gods and ancestors, which sacrifices to the gods have first Scrooge God, Scrooge God, the god of agriculture, post table Nawate God, cat and tiger God, the workshop God, the god of water and insects God eight. The second is the La drum to drive away the epidemic, also known as "drive away Nuo", that is, to expel the epidemic ghosts. Southern Liang Zong's "Jing Chu chronicles" recorded: "December 8 for the day of wax. Proverb: 'wax drums, spring grass'. The villagers would play the drums, wear the head of the Sanggong and make the Vajrapani to drive away the epidemic, and bathe to get rid of the sins and obstacles." These customs have largely disappeared. The most important custom of the festival, which has been passed down for a long time and has a wide influence, is to drink congee on the 8th day of the 12th month.

The congee is also called "windproof congee". Because Laha coincides with the cold days, drinking congee can protect from the cold, so it has this name. Usually the congee is made of glutinous rice and red beans, red dates, cinnamon, lotus seeds, peanuts, white fruit, pine nuts, carrots and so on. Later, the ingredients used varied from place to place. Some places not only use a wide variety of materials, the production is also more sophisticated. For example, in the Qing Dynasty, Fucha Dunchong described the Laha congee in Beijing as follows: "Laha congee is made with yellow rice, white rice, glutinous rice, millet, lingzhi rice, chestnuts, red cowpeas, peeled jujube paste, etc., boiled in water, and then dyed red peach kernels, almonds, melons, peanuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, and white and brown sugar, grapes, and then dyed. " This is much more elaborate than ordinary Laha congee. There are only light-colored glutinous rice, Job's tear grains, lingjiao rice, chicken head rice, lotus meat and other raw materials to cook congee, dark-colored beans do not, so that the porridge boiled out of the snow-white transparent, fine texture. Then the porridge in a covered bowl or special porridge box, and then lay the candied fruit preserves, lychee meat, cinnamon meat, peach kernels, pine nuts, dyed red melon seeds and red silk, but also to set out the pattern and pattern, called the "eight treasures porridge".

The custom of drinking Laba congee can be traced back to the Song Dynasty. Song Meng Yuan Lao's "Tokyo Meng Hua Lu - December" said: "the eighth day ...... of the great temples for the bathing Buddha will be, and send seven treasures and five flavors of porridge with the disciples, called 'Laha congee'. All people are the day of the family also to fruit and miscellaneous materials to cook congee and eat." Wu Zimu of the Southern Song Dynasty, "Dream sorghum record - December" also cloud: "the eighth day of this month, the temple is called 'Laha'. Dasha and other temples are set up five flavors of porridge, called 'congee on the eighth day of the month'; also set up a red bad, with bran milk, all the fruits, bamboo shoots, taro for the monks, or feed Tan Shi, your house and so on home." Southern Song Dynasty Zhou Mi's "Wulin old story - the evening of the festival" mentioned more called "La medicine" congee on the eighth day: "eight days, the temple and people with walnuts, pine nuts, milk mushrooms, persimmons, chestnuts and so on for congee, known as 'La Baji congee'. Doctors also more combined medicine, urge to tiger head dan, eight gods, Tu Su, stored in the red vase, gift everyone, called 'La medicine'." This shows that, in the Song Dynasty, the varieties of congee has been very rich, drink congee has been widely popular among the people.

After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the custom of drinking Laha congee still flourished. What is especially valuable is that its intention to give alms and help the poor has been further strengthened. Initially, the congee was mainly performed in Buddhist temples. In order to thank the believers and give relief to the poor, the monks used to cook congee and give alms on the 8th day of the month. Later, this trend was spreading, and on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, not only did the monasteries make congee for charity, but the people also followed suit and gave Lunar New Year congee to each other among their friends and relatives. As Lu You said in his poem: "This day, the Buddha porridge is given to each other, more feel the new festival in the village." To the Ming and Qing dynasties, the imperial court and local government will open congee factory on the day of Laha Festival to give congee to the poor. Such as the Qing Yongzheng years, Lapa Festival day, in the palace Wanfu Pavilion and other places with a cauldron to cook Lapa congee, the congee will be distributed to the people to eat. The main streets of the capital also have congee huts to give congee to the poor. In addition, on this day, the emperor gave congee to civil and military officials, and the empress also gave congee to concubines and court ladies. From the court to the people, are drinking Laha congee and send Laha congee as an expression of friendship and care of the event view, Laha congee has also become a charity to help the poor.

Besides drinking Laha congee, there are some other interesting customs related to Laha congee.

Many places have the custom of drinking Laha congee in the morning, so we have to cook congee before dawn. Proverb: "Whoever has the first smoke pipe, whoever has the sorghum red through the tip." It means that whoever drinks congee early on the day of Laha Festival will have a good harvest. Some will also be Laha congee painted on walls, trees, door rings, etc., it is believed that you can get rid of bad luck, bring good luck. There will be porridge coated in fruit trees, it is said to make fruit trees lush, fruit, that is, "big trees and small trees to eat Lahai, the next year more knot big pimples"; porridge coated in the back of the woman, it is believed that you can give birth to more children ......