Lapa Porridge, also known as Eight Treasures Porridge, contains "all five flavors", the so-called "Eight Treasures", which means "good fortune". The so-called "eight treasures", meaning "auspicious". But the porridge is not necessarily cooked by the eight ingredients, but there are three essential, namely, jujube, Job's tears rice and lingjiao rice. Among them, jujube peeled and mashed into mud into the congee with the cooking, usually cooked in a casserole. The most elaborate at the same time to the barley fried well dyed red, when the pot sprinkled on the congee, both to take the "red-hot" meaning.

The origin of Lapa congee

The eighth day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar is the day of the Buddha, the four heavenly kings came to earth from heaven, respectively, within the eight treasures of rice within the bowl of gold, silver, glaze, onyx, etc. to offer to the World Honored One, who gladly accepted after the four bowls into one. In order to commemorate the Buddha's attainment of enlightenment on the eighth day of the twelfth month and the acceptance of the rice porridge offered by the Four Heavenly Kings, some Buddhist temples will cook Laha congee for the Buddha on this day and distribute it to the good believers in ten different directions, so Laha congee is also known as "Buddha's congee". It is hoped that the people who enjoy the congee will share in the joy of the Buddha's attainment of enlightenment and be blessed by the Buddha's blessings and grow in wisdom.

The Tang and Song Dynasty practiced the custom of eating congee on the 8th day of the 12th lunar month, which was recorded in the "Tokyo Dreaming Records" written by Meng Yuanlao of the Song Dynasty, "On the 8th day of the 8th lunar month, there are three to five monks and nuns in the streets and lanes who make a procession of chanting the Buddha's name to ...... all the big temples to make a bath for the Buddha and to send the seven treasures and five flavors of congee to the disciples, which is known as the Laha congee. All people is also the day of each family to fruit and miscellaneous materials to cook porridge and eat." In addition, Wu Zimu's "Mengliang Records" also said: "December 8, the temple is called Laha, the temple set up five-flavored congee, called Laha congee, also known as the Buddha porridge."

The Qing Dynasty, the folk people to prepare Laha congee ancestor worship, divided into gifts to friends and relatives, to show their blessings, and follow the example of the Buddhist congee to send blessings, specially given to the poor; eat Laha congee is the court event, the Emperor, the Empress gave civil and military ministers of the Laha congee, but also the distribution of rice and fruits to the major monasteries. In the old days, the first eight days of Lunar New Year to eat Lapa congee, is considered the custom of all households, and even the owner will feed the family's chickens and dogs on a few spoons, flowers and fruit trees on the trunk of a few mouths coated with the belief that this will be able to six animals, fruit harvest, such as nursery rhymes, said: "Lapa congee, Lapa rice, chickens ate on the egg". Fuchsia Duncan Chong "Yanjing times - Lahai congee": "Lahai congee, with yellow rice, white rice, rice, millet, diamond rice, chestnuts, red beans, peeled jujube mud, etc., boiled in water, outside the use of dyed red peach kernels, almonds, melon seeds, peanuts, hazelnut, pine nuts, and sugar, brown sugar, Zuo Zuo grapes, for dyeing."

Laxa congee introduction

Shanxi's Laxa congee, also known as eight treasures congee, millet-based, additional cowpeas, small beans, mung beans, jujubes, and sticky yellow rice, rice, rice, rice, etc. to cook. Jin Dongnan area, the fifth day of the first month of the Lunar New Year with small beans, red beans, cowpeas, sweet potatoes, peanuts, glutinous rice, persimmon cake, water porridge, also known as sweet rice, is also one of the food customs.

Shaanxi Plateau in the day of the eight, porridge in addition to a variety of rice, beans, but also to add a variety of dried fruits, tofu and meat mixed into. Usually cooked in the morning, or sweet or salty, according to people's taste discretion. If it is eaten at lunchtime, but also in the porridge to cook some noodles, the family reunion **** meal. After eating, but also the porridge will be smeared on the door, stove and outside the door on the tree to drive away evil spirits to avoid disasters, to meet the next year's bumper crop of agriculture. Folklore, Lahai this day avoid eating vegetables, said eat vegetables, crop weeds. Southern Shaanxi people Lahai to eat mixed porridge, divided into "five flavors" and "eight flavors" two kinds. The former with rice, glutinous rice, peanuts, white fruit, beans cooked. The latter with the above five ingredients in addition to adding diced meat, tofu, radish, in addition to add flavorings. In addition to eating congee on the day of Lapa, people also have to use the congee to worship ancestors and granaries.

Traditionally, Gansu people cook congee with grains, vegetables, cooked in addition to family members to eat, but also sent to neighbors, but also used to feed livestock. In Lanzhou, Silver City area, Lahai congee cooked very carefully, with rice, beans, jujubes, white fruit, lotus seeds, raisins, dried apricots, dried gourds, walnuts, green and red silk, sugar, diced meat and so on. After cooking, it is first used to honor the god of the door, the god of the stove, the god of the earth, and the god of wealth, praying for good weather and good harvests in the coming year; then it is distributed to neighbors, and finally enjoyed by the whole family. Gansu Wuwei region to pay attention to the "vegetarian Lahai", eat rice thick rice, lentil rice or thick rice, cooked with fried loose seeds, sesame flowers with food, folklore called it "lentil congee bubble loose".