The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is regarded by the Buddhist community as the day when the Buddha became enlightened. Monks and nuns in the temple often cook "Eight Treasures Porridge" with eight kinds of food, including glutinous rice, sesame seeds, Yiren, Guiyuan, red dates, shiitake mushrooms, and lotus seeds, and invite the surrounding people to eat it. The people take the Holy Communion and give alms to the old and young of the people to show their respect for the Buddha. Later, it gradually became a folk custom to cook eight-treasure porridge (called Laba porridge) for consumption.
The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month was called "Laba Day" in ancient times, and is commonly known as "Laba Festival".
Since the pre-Qin Dynasty, the Laba Festival has been used to offer sacrifices to ancestors and gods, praying for a good harvest and good luck. It is said that the founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni, became enlightened on the eighth day of December, so there is a custom of eating Laba porridge on Laba day. Laba porridge is also called Qibao and five-flavor porridge, which is now called "Eight treasure porridge".
The history of eating Laba porridge in my country has been more than a thousand years. It first started in the Song Dynasty. On Laba day, whether it is the court, government, monastery or common people, Laba porridge was cooked with red beans and glutinous rice in ancient times. Later, the ingredients gradually increased, such as red dates, lotus seeds, walnuts, chestnuts, etc.
Almonds, pine nuts, longan, hazelnuts, grapes, ginkgo, water chestnuts, black hair, roses, red beans, peanuts... there are no less than twenty kinds in total.
The custom of eating Laba porridge has been passed down to the end. Laba porridge is no longer just a food on Laba Day. The canned eight-treasure porridge has become people's daily nutritional food.
Eating a steaming bowl of Laba porridge in winter is not only delicious and nutritious, but also can increase happiness and longevity.
The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is the traditional Laba Festival in my country. "La" is originally the name of a kind of sacrificial ceremony in ancient my country.
"Customs." "Sacrificial Code": "The Li Chuan says: 'Xia said Jiaping, Yin said Qingsi, Zhou said Dachang, and Han changed it to wax.'" The three words "La", "Wax" and "Hunting" were used in ancient times when people went to hunt animals in the wild. It is a ritual used to worship ancestors and the gods of heaven and earth, in order to pray for a good harvest in the coming year and for the safety and good luck of the family. It is called the wax sacrifice.
Since the twelfth lunar month is often held in December, this month is called the twelfth lunar month, but the date of the twelfth lunar month is not fixed. Since the Northern and Southern Dynasties, it is said that there are eight kinds of gods of the twelfth lunar month, so the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month has become a fixed festival day. It was called "Laba Day" in ancient times and is commonly known as Laba Festival.
In the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Buddhism was introduced to our country. According to legend, the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month was the day when the Buddha Sakyamuni became enlightened. Therefore, this day is also a Buddhist festival, called "Enlightenment Day".
In addition to activities to worship ancestors and gods during the Laba Festival, people also have to fight against epidemics. This activity originates 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.
Another ancient Laba custom - eating "Laba porridge" is quite common and has been passed down to this day. Eating Laba porridge has become a unique festival food culture of Laba. Laba porridge, also known as Qibao and five-flavor porridge, is made from various rice, beans, dried fruits, etc. Because its origin is related to Buddhism and it is a Buddhist offering, it is also called "Buddha porridge" and "Fortune porridge". Laba porridge appeared as early as the Song Dynasty and has a history of thousands of years.
In the Ming Dynasty, Laba porridge has become a seasonal food for the emperor to reward courtiers. In the Qing Dynasty, this custom became more common. On the day of the Laba Festival, Laba porridge was cooked in a big pot in the palace, and the monks were asked to chant sutras. The emperor and the empress would give the porridge to the ministers of civil and military affairs and the attendant maids. The monks in the temple will hold grand sutra education and tonsure activities on this day to celebrate Sakyamuni's enlightenment and enlightenment. At the same time, Laba porridge is cooked with grains, dried fruits, etc. as an offering to the Buddha and as gifts to the lay people attending the event.
In the Yonghe Temple in Beijing, there is still a large copper pot used for cooking porridge at that time. The ingredients used in Laba porridge vary slightly depending on the region and taste. In modern times, pearl rice, barley rice, wheat kernel, black rice are often added, and some also add ginkgo, lily, lotus seed, longan, mung bean, pinto bean, etc., and candied food. This porridge is not only nutritious, but also sweet and delicious.
The preparation method of Laba porridge is relatively simple. First wash the barley rice and various beans, cook them until half-cooked, then add rice and millet, and finally add red dates, chestnuts, lotus seeds, longan and sugar. After cooking over high heat, simmer over low heat until it becomes a paste. After cooking, take out several bowls and place them on the table to offer sacrifices to the ancestors. Then put it in food boxes and distribute it to relatives and friends, no later than noon. Finally, the whole family eats Laba porridge together.
In Beijing, even the six domestic animals such as horses, cows, sheep, chickens, dogs, and pigs must be fed several spoons of porridge. According to legend, the Heavenly Court wanted to visit the living conditions of the six animals in each house, including the Bull Demon King, Bima Wen, and Zhu Bajie who were sent to manage the six animals in Lari. Doing this will make the animals strong and productive. In some places, some porridge is also smeared on the trunks and flower branches of fruit trees to pray for full fruits next year. In some places, after making Laba porridge, a portion is frozen and eaten daily until the stove is sacrificed on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, which is a good omen for having more than enough in the coming year.
Along with the custom of eating Laba porridge, there are many folk legends. The most common saying is to commemorate the Buddha Sakyamuni. It is said that he was originally a prince of Kapilavastu Kingdom. In order to seek the true meaning of life, he resolutely gave up the throne and became a monk. One day, he came to the country of Magadha in northern India, which was sparsely populated and desolate. He was tired, hungry, and unbearably hot, and collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, a shepherd girl passed by and fed him a thick porridge like chyle with the grains she brought along with wild fruits, so he didn't starve to death. After being rescued, he meditated under the bodhi tree and founded Buddhism.
Therefore, Buddhists call the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month "Enlightenment Day" and eat Laba porridge on this day to commemorate it.
During the Han Dynasty, the year-end wax festival must be held every twelfth month of the lunar calendar, so the twelfth month of the lunar calendar was also called the "twelfth month" or "wax month". The porridge cooked on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is named "Laba porridge".
There are many origins and legends about "Laba porridge", and there are different opinions from different places. Among them, the most widely circulated story is about commemorating Sakyamuni's enlightenment. Legend has it that after Sakyamuni escaped from the palace and became a monk in Mount Jiatu, he studied the classics and spent six years in the mountains. When he finished studying the sutra, it was the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, which is also known as "the day Sakyamuni attained enlightenment" in general Buddhism.
According to the "Cause and Effect Sutra", Sakyamuni had no time to take care of his personal food and clothing due to six years of asceticism. He only ate some wheat and wheat every day, and was deprived of food and clothing all year round. When his study period expired, he was already in tatters, skinny and skinny, and his appearance was like a dead tree. Exhausted, he walked down Mount Jiatu, sat by the river, and begged the villagers.
A cowherd woman in the village boiled milk in a bowl and gave it to Sakyamuni, which quickly restored his health. After the rise of Buddhism, in order to commemorate this event, this day was designated as a day for the ancient Indian people to "fast monks" and provide food and drink to the poor.
After Buddhism was introduced to China in the Eastern Han Dynasty, giving alms on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month gradually turned into the custom of cooking "Laba porridge". Some Buddhist temples in my country cook "Laba porridge" to commemorate the story of the shepherd woman who rescued Sakyamuni by the Nilian River.
With the rise of Buddhism, Laba porridge has also become popular among the people. Rich people's Laba porridge is made with dozens of rice, beans and fruit ingredients, and relatives and friends even give it to each other. The poor also have to cook a pot of porridge with millet and red dates on this day in accordance with the season. It is said that "if you don't drink porridge during Laba, you will be poorer next year."
In the Qing Dynasty, the Laba porridge consumed in the palace was cooked by the lamas of Yonghe Temple and paid tribute.
As soon as Laba is over, preparations for the New Year begin, but for the poor, the day to pay off debts is also approaching, because from this time on, debt collectors will come one after another.