China celebrates 1,500-year-old Laba Festival

(CCTV.com) Updated: 2015-01-29 14:02

Temples start to cook Laba congee in Xuzhou, east China's Jiangsu province, the day before the Laba Festival on Jan. 26, 2015. The congee will be distributed to city residents in the morning of Jan 27. [Photo/CCTV.com]

Jan 27 is the traditional Laba Festival in China. Laba means the eighth day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar. It has been celebrated for 1,500 years.

It’s customary, especially in North China, to eat Laba Porridge. It’s a combination of rice, beans, nuts and dates. The festival is linked to both the new harvest and Buddhism. Buddhist temples dish out porridge to the public. People prepare Laba garlic, by putting cloves in vinegar to steep until they turn green.

There are also Laba noodles, and Laba Tofu. As Laba falls in the last lunar month, it serves as a prelude for the Lunar New Year.