People line up for a free bowl of Laba porridge at Sakya Temple in Yuxian county, Zhangjiakou city, North China's Hebei province, in the early morning of Jan 13, 2019. It was the eighth day of the 12th month on the Chinese lunar calendar, a day widely regarded as the prelude to Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year. Eating Laba porridge is an age-old ritual that brings blessings for a healthy and auspicious new year. [Photo by Sun Ge/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]