The Lapa Festival, commonly known as "Lapa", refers to the first eight days of the lunar month of Lunar New Year (December). It is a festival used to worship ancestors and gods, pray for a good harvest and good luck, and is also known as the "Festival of Buddha's Pathfinding" because it is said that this day is the day when Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, attained enlightenment and founded Buddhism under the Buddha Yabodhi, which is the eighth day of the twelfth month of the Lunar Calendar.

In China, there are Lapa congee on Lapa Day, the custom of soaking Lapa garlic, Henan and other places, Lapa congee is also known as "everyone rice". It is a festive food custom in honor of national hero Yue Fei.

Dietary customs:

1. Laha congee

Laha this day there is the custom of drinking Laha congee, Laha congee, also known as "seven treasures and five flavors of porridge". 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. 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, etc., to the civil and military ministers, attendants courtesans to give Laha congee, and to the various monasteries to distribute rice, fruit, etc. for monks to eat.

After the Laha congee is boiled, it should first be honored to the gods and ancestors. After that, it is to be presented to friends and relatives and must be sent out before noon. Finally, it is eaten by the whole family. Leftover Laha congee, save a few days to eat there are left over, but a good omen, to take its "year after year" meaning. If you give the porridge to the poor people to eat, it is more for their own virtue.

2. Lahai garlic

Most areas in northern China on the eighth day of the first month of the custom of vinegar soaked garlic, called "Lahai garlic". Bubble Lahai garlic is a custom in northern China. Lahai ten days later, is the Spring Festival, due to the soaking of vinegar, garlic as a whole is turquoise, very nice, and the vinegar also has the spicy flavor of garlic. On New Year's Eve, around the time of the Spring Festival, eat dumplings and salad with Laha garlic and vinegar, the flavor is very good.

3. Lahai tofu

"Lahai tofu" is an Lahai tofu emblem Qianxian folk flavor specialties, in the Lahai on the eve of the Spring Festival, that is, around the eighth day of the twelfth month of the Lunar Calendar, Qianxian households have to sun tanning tofu, the folk will be this natural sun tanning tofu known as "Lahai tofu "

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4. Lapa Noodle

Northern China Lapa Noodle side of some places that do not produce or less rice, people do not eat Lapa congee, but to eat Lapa noodles. Every other day with a variety of fruits and vegetables into a bashful, the noodles rolled out, to the morning of the eighth of Lunar New Year, the whole family to eat Laha noodles.