Welcome Laba Festival, have you had porridge today?

China Science and Technology News, December 30 (Xu Qiqi)

Today is the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, which is Laba Festival. This is the second Laba Festival in 2022. The last Laba Festival was on January 10 this year.

"Children, don't be greedy. After Laba, it's New Year. Drink Laba porridge for a few days. On the 23rd, sticky sugar melons are on the 23rd. Clean the house on the 24th. Fry tofu on the 25th. Cook meat on the 26th. Kill the New Year chicken on the 27th. Let the noodles rise on the 28th. Steam the buns on the 29th. Make a fuss all night on the 30th. Twist and turn on the first day of the New Year." Have you heard this nursery rhyme when you were a child? With the arrival of Laba Festival, the New Year is getting closer and closer, and the New Year atmosphere is getting stronger and stronger.

Laba Festival is also called "Enlightenment Meeting" and "Fabao Meeting". It is said that Laba Festival was originally a Buddhist festival to commemorate the enlightenment of Sakyamuni Buddha. Later, it gradually became popular among the people. During the Laba Festival in the Song Dynasty, people from the palace to the homes of ordinary people would make Laba porridge. In the pre-Qin period, some areas in my country had the custom of offering sacrifices in the twelfth lunar month, but there was no fixed date at that time, and Laba porridge was not eaten.

As the saying goes, "On the seventh and eighth days of the twelfth lunar month, your chin will freeze off." On this day, you should eat some hot food, and Laba porridge is one of them. Laba porridge is also called "seven treasures and five flavors porridge" and "Buddha porridge". It is an indispensable food during the Laba Festival. The original Laba porridge was mainly cooked with red beans. With the development and evolution, more and more ingredients are used to make Laba porridge. The materials used to make Laba porridge in different regions of my country are different, and they are full of local characteristics.

Regarding the ingredients of Laba porridge, the writer Lao She described it in his article "Spring Festival in Beijing": "This porridge is made with all kinds of rice, beans, and dried fruits - almonds, walnuts, melon seeds, lychee meat, lotus seeds, peanuts, raisins, water chestnut rice... This is not porridge, but a small agricultural exhibition", which shows how rich the ingredients of Laba porridge are. In some areas, "porridge fruit" is added to Laba porridge, which is fruits carved into various shapes.

There is also a custom of soaking Laba garlic on Laba Festival. Put the peeled garlic cloves into a container, pour vinegar into it, and then seal it. The garlic will turn green in the end. You can take it out and eat it during the Chinese New Year.

In Anhui, there is a custom of drying Laba tofu on this day. The dried Laba tofu can be eaten directly, fried or stewed. It is said that in ancient times, Hui merchants often brought Laba tofu with them when they went out for business. In some areas of Shaanxi, there is no custom of drinking Laba porridge, but they will eat a bowl of steaming hot Laba noodles on Laba Festival.