Buddhism records that Sakyamuni practiced asceticism for many years before becoming a monk, and found that asceticism was not the way out, so he decided to give up asceticism. At this time, I met a herder who offered chyle. After eating, I recovered my strength and sat down under the bodhi tree to meditate.1February 8, I went home as a Taoist. To commemorate this event, Buddhists held Buddhist ceremonies on this day, offering rice and fruit to cook porridge for the Buddha.

Wu's Dream in the Southern Song Dynasty says: "On the eighth day of this month, the temple name is Laba. Dasha and other temples have five-flavored porridge called Laba porridge. " Since Buddhism was introduced to China, temples have cooked porridge with fragrant valleys and fruits and distributed it to believers and loyal men and women. On the day of Laba, Buddhist ceremonies were held in various monasteries, just like the story of a shepherdess offering chyle before becoming a monk. She cooked porridge with torreya grandis and fruits for the Buddha and named it Laba porridge. Legend has it that drinking this porridge can get the blessing of the Buddha. So Laba porridge is also called "Fushou porridge", "Fude porridge" and "Buddha porridge". "Laba" was originally a Buddhist festival. After several generations of evolution, it gradually became a household name.

In the pre-Qin period, some places in China had the custom of "La Worship" related to "pulling". The date of the festival is in the twelfth lunar month, and the exact date has not been determined. This custom in La Worship is regarded as one of the sources of Laba Festival by later generations. According to the Book of Rites and the Collection of Suburbs Sacrifice compiled by Dai Sheng in the Western Han Dynasty, La Worship is "the year of December, when everything gathers and is sought after." Han Yingshao's "Customs" said: "Jia Ping, Qing Si, Zhou Yue wax, Han changed wax. In the pre-Qin period, some places in our country had the custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors and gods (including door gods, household gods, house gods, kitchen gods and well gods) in the twelfth lunar month, hoping for a bumper harvest and good luck. Those who wax and hunt say that they hunt animals in the fields to sacrifice to their ancestors. " There is also a saying that "wax is also; The old and the new are handed over, so big sacrifices are rewarded. Because "wax" and "hunting" convey festivals, "hunting sacrifice" is also called "La Worship". Because it is held in December, it is called the twelfth lunar month, and La Worship is called the twelfth lunar month. Before the Han Dynasty, the specific date of La Worship was not fixed, and it was not until the Han Dynasty that the third garrison day after the winter solstice was designated as "La Ri". La Worship's goal is the ancestors and the gods of five families. The five gods refer to "doors, households, skylights, stoves and walkways (places inside doors)". But I don't drink Laba porridge this day.

Other legends:

Red beans play with ghosts

It is said that there were evil spirits in ancient times, and children were sick because of evil spirits, and people behaved badly. These evil spirits are fearless, only afraid of red (red) beans, so people cook porridge on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month and pretend to be ghosts with red beans and red beans in porridge to drive away the epidemic and welcome good luck. This is the saying that "red beans play ghosts".

In memory of the workers who built the Great Wall

When Qin Shihuang ordered the construction of the Great Wall, migrant workers could not go home day and night, so they had to rely on their families to deliver meals. It is inevitable that many people are separated by mountains and rivers, and many people starve to death at the Great Wall site. One year, on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, migrant workers put their remaining miscellaneous grains together and cooked a pot of porridge, each with a bowl, to resist the cold. Later, in order to commemorate these migrant workers, people cooked Laba porridge every year.

Remember the virtues of ancestors' diligence and thrift.

There was a young man in the Western Jin Dynasty who was idle and lazy. His family advised him several times, but he was indifferent until the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, when his family stopped cooking. The young man searched the rice jar granary at home and only took a few handfuls of miscellaneous grains. In desperation, he had to mix them together and cook a pot of porridge. Since then, he has repented and turned over a new leaf and worked hard. And people also spread it, so as to educate their children that whenever Laba cooks porridge, it not only means that they will not forget the virtues of their ancestors' diligence and thrift, but also hopes that the gods will bring a good year of ample food and clothing.

In memory of Yue Fei

At that time, Yue Fei led his troops to fight against gold in Zhuxian Town, which coincided with the severe winter and the twelfth lunar month. Yue Jiajun was hungry and cold, and the local people gave each other porridge. After feasting on the people's "thousand porridge", Yue Jiajun was feverish, recovered his physical strength and returned with a great victory. This day happens to be the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. Later, in order to commemorate the spirit of defending the country and defending the country of Yue Fei and Yue Jiajun, it became a custom to cook porridge with miscellaneous grains on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.