One, the origin of the Lahai Festival
Lahai Festival, commonly known as "Lahai", that is, the eighth day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar every year, the ancient people will usually be sacrificed to the ancestors and the gods on this day, in order to pray for the next year's harvest and good luck.
Legend has it that this day is also the day that Buddha Shakyamuni became a monk, called "Dharma Treasure Festival", is one of the grand festivals of Buddhism, so many temples will also be around the Laha Festival for the people to distribute Laha congee, blessing everyone full of blessings, and have a happy new year.
The Lahai Festival is one of the most important festivals in China in the month of Lunar New Year, the eighth day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, known as the "Lunar New Year's Day" in ancient times, commonly known as the "Lahai Festival". Lunar New Year is the end of the year, ancient farming people have nothing to do, they go out hunting. One is to get more food to make up for the lack of food, the second is to use the beasts to hit the ancestors to honor the gods, pray for blessings and seek life, to avoid disasters and welcome the good luck.
The day of Lahai have eaten Lahai porridge custom. China's history of drinking Laha congee, has been more than a thousand years. The earliest began in the Song Dynasty. Every Lahai day, whether it is the court, the government, the temple or the people's home to do Lahai congee.
Second, the Lahai Festival customs
1, Lahai congee
Lahai this day have eaten Lahai congee custom, Lahai congee is also known as the seven treasures of five flavors of congee. The history of drinking Laha congee in China has been more than a thousand years. The earliest began in the Song Dynasty. Every Laha day, whether it is the court, the government, the temple or the people's home to do Laha congee.
The ingredients used in Laha congee vary from region to region, but basically include grains such as rice, millet, glutinous rice, sorghum rice, purple rice, barley, beans such as soybeans, red beans, mung beans, kidney beans, cowpeas and other legumes, and dried fruits such as jujubes, peanuts, lotus seeds, goji berries, chestnuts, walnuts, almonds, cinnamon balls, raisins, and white fruits.
Laiba congee is not only a seasonal food, but also a good health food, especially suitable for maintaining the spleen and stomach in cold weather.
2, Lahai garlic
Lahai garlic is the day of the eighth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar to soak garlic, is a custom in the north, especially in northern China. Its ingredients are vinegar and garlic cloves. Bubbling Lahai garlic is a traditional snack mainly popular in the north, especially in northern China, and is a Lahai Festival holiday food custom.
3, Lahai tofu
Lahai tofu is one of the traditional folk snacks in Yixian County, Anhui Province, festival food customs. On the eighth day of the eighth month of the Chinese New Year, every family will be sun-dried tofu, the folk will be the sun-dried tofu, it is called "Lahai tofu".
4, Lahai noodles
Lahai noodles, that is, Lahai Festival seasonal food. Traditional noodles, popular in the Guanzhong area of Shaanxi Province, in Shaanxi Province, north of the Chengcheng area, Lahai Festival is generally not congee, the morning of the eighth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar every year, every family will eat a bowl of Lahai noodles. To noodles and a variety of beans (as raw materials, the noodles need to be made into chive leaf noodles spare.
5, Lapa rice
Han folk festival food customs, on the day of Lapa there is the custom of doing Lapa rice. According to legend, the eighth day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, is the Buddha Shakyamuni into the day, therefore, the ancient Buddhist temples are often held on the day of Lahai chanting, and follow the example of the Buddha into the road before the shepherds offer milo of the legendary story, to take the fragrance of the Valley and fruits and other offerings to the Buddha, the name: Lahai rice.
Expanded Information:
According to literature, the Lapa Festival already existed in the pre-Qin period. So the legend of one to four is likely to be attached to it, in today's words, those are the later in order to achieve the role of indoctrination, commemorating the celebrities, rubbing the Lahai Festival this "hot".
Specifically, the fourth point, Buddhism was born in India, India even the waxing moon are not, naturally, there is no Lahat Festival. Eating Lapa congee to commemorate the Buddha, only the process of localization of Buddhism in China went to the meeting, which is also a sign that Buddhism has absorbed the local culture of China.