The customs of Laba Festival Don't forget to drink Laba porridge on Laba Festival in 2017

The Laba Festival of 2017 is coming soon, so what should we do on Laba Festival? Next, let us learn about the customs of Laba Festival.

Customs of Laba Festival: What to do on Laba Festival

Ancestor worship

Laba Festival is on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. In ancient times, Laba Festival was a sacrificial ceremony to celebrate the harvest and thank ancestors and gods. In addition to worshiping ancestors and gods, the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is regarded by the Buddhist community as the Buddha's enlightenment day. Therefore, temples hold commemorative ceremonies and cook porridge with eight kinds of food, such as glutinous rice, sesame, coix seed, longan, red dates, mushrooms, and lotus seeds, to offer to the Buddha. They also invite people from the surrounding mountains to take the holy communion and give food to the young and old in the houses to share, as a sign of respect for the Buddha.

Drink Laba porridge

In ancient times, on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, there was a custom among Chinese people of drinking "Laba porridge" or eating "Laba rice". According to ancient texts, in "Yanjing Sui Shi Ji•Laba Congee" by Fu Cha Dun Chong, "Laba Congee is made with yellow rice, white rice, glutinous rice, millet, water chestnut rice, chestnut, red cowpea, peeled jujube paste, etc., boiled with water, and then dyed with red peach kernels, almonds, melon seeds, peanuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, white sugar, brown sugar, and grapes for coloring."