Chinese people believe that eating congee (porridge made from rice) during Laba festival will bring good luck. Laba Congeeis infused with Chinese people’s beautiful expectations of a happy life.

中国人相信腊八节喝腊八粥会带来好运，腊八粥充满着中国人民对幸福生活的美丽期望。

Folktales abound as to the origins of eating congee during Laba Festival. According to the most famous one, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang (reigned 1368-1399), used to herd cattle for a rich man. One day, his carelessness caused a leg of one of the cows to be broken. The rich man was so angry that he locked up the culprit in a small room and didn’t allow food to be given to him. After some time, the famished Zhu Yuanzhang found in a corner of the room a rat hole that contained a supply of stolen red beans, rice, red dates and other produce. These he boiled into congee, on which he feasted voluptuously. Because that day was the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the emperor Zhu Yuanzhang named the congee Laba Congee.

关于腊八节喝粥的起源，民间故事比比皆是。最著名的一个,明朝的开国皇帝朱元璋(1368 - 1399年在位)，小时候给财主放牛，因牛腿摔断被财主关在一间屋子里，不给他饭吃，过了一段时间，快要饿死的朱元璋在屋子的角落里发现了一个老鼠洞，从中挖掘出红豆、大米、红枣等各种粮食，煮成粥食用，觉得非常香甜。因为这一天是农历的十二月八日,皇帝朱元璋将它命名为腊八粥。

关于腊八节喝粥的起源，民间故事比比皆是。最著名的一个,明朝的开国皇帝朱元璋(1368 - 1399年在位)，小时候给财主放牛，因牛腿摔断被财主关在一间屋子里，不给他饭吃，过了一段时间，快要饿死的朱元璋在屋子的角落里发现了一个老鼠洞，从中挖掘出红豆、大米、红枣等各种粮食，煮成粥食用，觉得非常香甜。因为这一天是农历的十二月八日,皇帝朱元璋将它命名为腊八粥。

Labais celebrated on the eighth day of the last lunar month, referring to thetraditional start of celebrations for the Chinese New Year. La in Chinese meansthe 12th lunar month and ba means eight.

腊八是农历十二月的第八天，是欢庆春节的开始。汉语里，“腊”的意思是第十二个月，“八”的意思是八。

美味的腊八粥（ Laba Congee; Laba porridge）

ingredient

配料表

糯米:glutinous rice

红豆:red beans

小米:millet

高粱:Chinese sorghum

花生:peanuts

莲子:dried lotus seeds

枣子:dried dates

杏仁:almond

temple

寺庙施粥

Accordingto written records, large Buddhist temples would offer it to the poor to showtheir faith to Buddha.

In the Ming Dynasty about 500 years ago, it became sucha holy food that emperors would offer it to their officials during festivals.As it gained favor in the feudal upper class, it also quickly became popularthroughout the country.

根据有记载的历史，大的佛寺要向穷人施粥以显示对佛祖的信仰。在距今500年前的明朝，腊八粥变成了神圣的食物，就连皇帝也要在过节的时候赐粥给群臣。在封建上层社会的推动下，腊八粥迅速风靡全国。

腊八蒜

Laba garlic

In North China there is a custom of pickling garlic in vinegar on Laba Day. After some pickling, the garlic will turn green. This pickled garlic goes very well with dumplings.

In Chinese, the words “garlic” and “calculate” have the same pronunciation; therefore, eating garlic on Laba Day is symbolic of reckoning the year’s income and expenses as year-end approaches.

在中国的北方有一个习俗，在腊八节的时候把蒜泡到醋中，经过醋的浸泡后，蒜会变的通体碧绿。

经过醋泡过的蒜和饺子一起吃更配哦~在中国“蒜”与“算”同音，随着年底的临近，在腊八节那天吃蒜是计算整年收支的象征。

Laba ice

腊八冰

Northerners have a custom of leaving a basin of water outside the house to be frozen; they break this ice into pieces and eat it on Laba Day.

The ice on this day is said to possess supernatural power, capable of keeping those who eat it free from stomachache for a whole year.

北方人有一个习俗，他们在房子外面放一盆水等水冻成冰，在腊八节那天把冰捣碎并把它吃掉。

据说，这天的冰拥有超自然的力量，它能让吃了的人一整年都不会肚子疼。

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