Laba, Laba porridge, and Laba vinegar

The New Year was getting nearer and nearer, and in no time at all it was the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. The New Year was approaching rapidly, and before we knew it, it was already the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Laba is a traditional Han Chinese festival with a long history. Tang Zhang Shoujie’s ‘Commentary on the Records of the Grand Historian’: “It is the day of waxing in the twelfth month —— birds and beasts are hunted as an offering to the ancestors at the end of the year, and this day was established for that purpose.” ”During the Han Dynasty, the third day of the Wu period after the Winter Solstice was designated as the \"Wax Day.\" It was not until the Southern and Northern Dynasties that this date was changed to the eighth day of the twelfth month, which came to be known as the \"Laba Festival.\" In ancient times, the Spring Festival actually began on this day. Old Beijingers have always regarded Laba as a sign that the New Year is approaching. Especially as merchants began to send bills to collect debts, people playfully referred to it as “the Laba porridge for messengers”. The folk song says, “Don’t worry, old lady; after Laba, the New Year will arrive.” How many days should one drink Laba congee? “Twenty-three, here we go------” There are various theories regarding the origin of Laba congee. There is a tradition of offering sacrifices to Shennong ； There is a theory about sacrificing to the Eight Gods ； Zhu Yuanzhang recalled his hardships and said ； There is a saying in memory of Yue Fei ； There are sayings in memory of the Buddha. Among them, the most widely spread and generally accepted is the story commemorating Buddha. According to legend, in ancient northern India, in the kingdom of Kapilavastu, Dharmasiddha, the son of King Suddhodana (who is Buddha Shakyamuni), was deeply troubled by the sufferings of birth, old age, illness, and death in human life. In search of a path to liberation, he resolutely gave up his throne and traveled throughout India’s famous mountains and rivers, seeking out wise people. On the eighth day of the twelfth month, while traveling along the Niles River in Bihar, I collapsed from exhaustion and hunger. At that time, he was discovered by a herdswoman, who took the grains she had with her and some wild fruits, heated them with spring water to make porridge, and fed it to him little by little. For Shakyamuni, who had not seen food or water for a long time, this was truly like sweet nectar; as a result, he felt rejuvenated. He then took a bath in the Nairanjana River, and afterward sat cross-legged under the Bodhi tree in the east, pondering over the path to liberation. And he swore, \"If I do not attain supreme enlightenment, I would rather let this body be shattered than ever rise from this seat.\" ”He finally achieved complete enlightenment and became a Buddha. From then on, Buddhists have referred to the Laba Festival as the Buddha’s “Day of Enlightenment”. Since Buddhism was introduced to China, on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month each year, Buddhist temples prepare porridge made from fragrant grains and dried fruits to offer to the Buddha. According to the \"Xi Lü Zhi,\" \"On the eighth day of the twelfth month, which is known in Buddhism as Laba Day, red-grain porridge is cooked to offer to the Buddha.\" The Miscellaneous Records of the Court and the Public since the Xian Dao era” also states: “The eighth day of the twelfth month is the Buddha Bathing Day, and various temples prepare porridge to offer to the Buddha. During the feudal era, emperors would also use Laba porridge as a reward for their civil and military officials. As recorded in The Records of Travel in Yanjing, “On the eighth day of the twelfth month, porridge made with fruits was given to the officials.” In the third year of Yongzheng’s reign (1725 AD), by order of Emperor Shizong, large pots were used in places such as the Wanfu Pavilion within the Yonghe Temple to cook Laba porridge; lamas were invited to recite prayers, and then the porridge was distributed to various princes and officials for them to taste. The public also followed suit. At home, during the Laba Festival, porridge is cooked not only to offer to Buddhas and ancestors but mainly as gifts exchanged among relatives, friends, and neighbors. Secondly is the personal use of “twenty-three blah blahs”. However, those who are in mourning for a relative do not cook porridge. There are numerous types of Laba congee, which are mainly determined by one’s wealth. In the past, as the twelfth lunar month approached, grain shops would mix together kidney beans, peas, adzuki beans, cowpeas, mung beans, millet, rice, sorghum, and other grains for sale, calling it mixed bean rice or Laba rice. Ordinary households add such mixed beans and grains along with dried fruits such as jujubes and chestnuts, and after cooking them into porridge they add red sugar or white sugar; some also include sweet flavorings like roses and osmanthus. If you are particular about quality, the first thing to pay attention to is the color of the porridge. Thus, any legumes with dark colors cannot be used. It is made by cooking only ingredients such as glutinous rice, coix seed, water caltrop seed, arrowhead rice, and lotus seed pulp to create a porridge that is snow-white and transparent with a fine texture. It is then placed in a covered bowl or a special congee container, and covered with preserved fruits (such as peach preserves, apricot preserves, apple preserves), lychee flesh, longan flesh, peach kernels, pine nuts, dyed pumpkin seeds, as well as green and red silk threads – this mixture is known as zhouguo. Patterns and designs are also created, which is what is referred to as “Eight Treasures Congee”. On the Laba Festival, in addition to cooking Laba congee, there is also a folk custom of soaking \"Laba garlic\" in vinegar in jars*. It is sealed at the beginning of the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month and placed in a warmer room, to be opened and enjoyed on New Year’s Eve when eating New Year’s dumplings. The soaked garlic turns a green color, just like jade, and paired with dark red rice vinegar, it looks extremely beautiful, adding a festive touch to family gatherings. (End) Tips for making Laba congee: 1. The basic ingredients for Laba congee usually include the following: red dates, chestnuts, kidney beans, white beans, lotus seeds, mung beans, adzuki beans, corn, longan, peas, peanuts, glutinous rice, yellow rice, and more. However, these ingredients cannot be put into the pot at the same time; the red beans, mung beans, and kidney beans need to be soaked in water for 3-4 hours in advance. After preparing the ingredients and adding them to the pot, add an appropriate amount of water and bring it to a boil; a ratio of 8:1 between water and ingredients is suitable. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat and simmer slowly, stirring continuously in one direction with a spoon – this helps the porridge become thicker. Some people like to add some alkali flour to the porridge to speed up its cooking process and make it thicker, but this method is not suitable for Laba porridge, as it can destroy certain vitamins in it, thereby affecting their absorption by the body. 2 When the porridge is 70% cooked, add raisins, corn, longan, peanuts, walnut kernels, etc., then continue cooking for another 20 minutes; after adding sugar, it’s ready to eat. How to pickle Laba garlic to make it delicious? Laba garlic should be put in jars on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. First, select purple-skinned garlic with small, uniform cloves, as such garlic has a firmer texture, which ensures that the pickled Laba garlic turns out to be crispy and tasty. Next, peel off the garlic skins, wash it thoroughly, and drain any excess water, as otherwise it will affect the taste of the garlic. Place the garlic in a jar or sealed bottle, add rice vinegar, then add an appropriate amount of salt, and seal it. In a dry place at around 5 degrees Celsius, for about a week; the garlic is ready to eat once it turns a bright green color! Laba garlic is absolutely delicious when eaten with dumplings~~~ It’s also tasty when added to cold dishes made from lean meat. However, there are some people who should avoid consuming it: those with eye or tooth problems, those whose spleen and stomach are too hot, and those with inflammation in their mouth or tongue should eat it in moderation.

Eating partridge on Laba is believed to bring good fortune in the New Year.:victory:

I had lunch here; our company’s cafeteria provided porridge, which was mixed with vegetables, beans, and peanuts. It was great and delicious!

I didn’t have time to eat parridge on Laba; what a pity!

I plan to cook this, but I can’t find grains, beans, jujubes and nuts in the supermarket