Laba Festival

Today marks the Laba Festival, commonly shortened to Laba, which falls on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. It is a traditional Chinese festival with folk customs of eating Laba porridge and pickling Laba garlic.

As an old saying goes, "Once Laba arrives, the New Year is near."The arrival of Laba kicks off the prelude to the Spring Festival. From this day on, the festive atmosphere grows stronger by the day.

On Laba, every family cooks Laba porridge to offer sacrifices to ancestors. Family members gather to enjoy the porridge together and share it with relatives and friends. Laba porridge varies greatly across China, featuring countless elaborate and diverse recipes.

We all know we drink Laba porridge on this day, but do you know its origin? Let’s look into the stories behind it.

To Commemorate Migrant Workers Who Built the Great Wall

Legend has it that Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered the construction of the Great Wall. Laborers worked on the site year-round far from home, relying entirely on food deliveries from their families. Those who received no supplies risked starving to death.One eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, laborers short of provisions gathered their leftover grains to boil a thin porridge, sharing bowls to fight hunger and cold. To honor these workers, people have eaten Laba porridge every Laba ever since.

To Bear in Mind the Virtue of Diligence and Thrift

Another tale dates back to the Western Jin Dynasty. A lazy young man idled away his days and squandered all his family’s wealth. By the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, he had no food left. Starving, he scraped every jar and pot for leftover grains and edible scraps, boiling them into a bowl of porridge. The experience made him resolve to reform and live a hardworking life.This story is passed down to teach children to uphold their ancestors’ virtue of diligence and frugality by drinking Laba porridge.

Once Laba comes, the New Year draws close;Each year brings reunion and joy.

May you sit around a warm stove this Laba Festival,and may your journey home stay warm all the way.

On Laba, let us uphold thrift and carry forward traditional Chinese culture.

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