How to celebrate the laba festival?

The Laba Festival is celebrated on the eighth day of the last lunar month, marking the beginning of celebrating the Chinese Spring Festival. La means the 12th lunar month and ba means the number eight. The date usually falls in mid-January. The majority of people from Han nationality has followed the tradition of eating Laba rice porridge on the Laba Festival. Laba rice porridge was first introduced to China in the Song Dynasty. According to historical records, some large temples would offer the poor Laba rice porridge to show their faith to Buddha.In the Ming Dynasty, it became a holy food that emperors would use to award their officials on the festival.

Traditionally, the Laba rice porridge is the most important element of the festival. Generally, the porridge contains eight ingredients which can include glutinous rice, red beans, millet, Chinese sorghum, peas, dried lotus seeds and some other ingredients, such as dried dates, chestnut meat, walnut meat, almond, peanut, etc. The porridge must be boiled for many hours and then offered as a sacrifice to the ancestors. This must be done before noontime. Also, it is tradition that family members eat the porridge together.

Then they leave some as a symbol of hope for a good harvest the coming year.  Another custom is the soaking of Laba garlic. Garlic is soaked in vinegar for more than twenty days starting from Laba festival. Then when the Chinese New Year comes, the garlic and vinegar can be served together with dumplings on the table.