Laba Festival

-LABA FESTIVAL-

Traditional Chinese cultural festivals

Eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Year of Xin Chou, Ox

Little kids, little kids, don’t be greedy!

After Laba Festival comes the New Year.

Congee for the Laba Festival—eat it for a few days.

Twenty-three, dripping and dragging.

The Origin of the Laba Festival

-LABA FESTIVAL-

The Laba Festival falls on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month each year, and its main custom is to “drink Laba porridge.” The Laba Festival is one of Buddhism’s grandest festivals. According to Buddhist records, before attaining enlightenment, Shakyamuni had practiced asceticism for many years, reducing his body to skin and bones. Realizing that asceticism was not the ultimate path to liberation, he decided to abandon it. At that moment, he encountered a shepherdess who offered him rice porridge made with milk. After eating it, his strength was restored, and he sat in meditation beneath the Bodhi tree. On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, he attained enlightenment. To commemorate this event, Buddhists hold religious ceremonies on this day, preparing porridge from rice and fruits to offer to the Buddha. As recorded in Wu Zimu’s “Menglianglu” from the Southern Song Dynasty: “On the eighth day of this month, temples refer to it as Laba.”

Laba Festival Food Customs

-LABA FESTIVAL-

Laba Porridge

La Ba Zhou, also known as “Qibao Wwei Zhou,” “Fo Zhou,” or “Dajia Fan,” is a type of porridge made by simmering together a variety of ingredients. The origin of the custom of drinking La Ba Zhou on La Ba Day is closely linked to the story of the Buddha’s enlightenment. Thus, Li Fu, a scholar from Suzhou during the Qing Dynasty, once wrote in a poem: “On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, we drink porridge—passed down from the land of Brahman; seven treasures harmoniously blended, five flavors subtly infused with fragrance.” The custom of drinking La Ba Zhou on La Ba Festival originates from Buddhism.

-LABA FESTIVAL-

Laba Garlic

As soon as the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month arrives, the festive atmosphere for the New Year intensifies day by day. In most parts of North China, there’s a custom on this day of pickling garlic in vinegar—known as “Laba Garlic.” Laba Garlic is made by pickling garlic cloves in vinegar on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, and it’s a traditional practice unique to the North China region. The ingredients are simply vinegar and garlic cloves. Pickling Laba Garlic is a traditional snack that’s especially popular in North China and is an integral part of the Laba Festival’s culinary customs. In fact, the ingredients for Laba Garlic are remarkably simple—just vinegar and garlic cloves.

-LABA FESTIVAL-

Laba Tofu

“Laba Tofu” is a local specialty with a distinctive flavor from Qian County in Anhui Province. On Laba Day, which falls around the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month just before the Spring Festival, every household in Qian County dries tofu outdoors. In the local community, this naturally sun-dried tofu is known as “Laba Tofu.”

-LABA FESTIVAL-

Laba Noodles

In some regions of northern China where rice is either unavailable or produced in limited quantities, people don't eat Laba porridge; instead, they enjoy Laba noodles. The day before, they prepare various toppings—such as fruits and vegetables—and roll out the noodles. Then, on the morning of the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the whole family gathers to enjoy Laba noodles together.

Laba Festival Health Preservation

-LABA FESTIVAL-

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, it happens to fall between the third and fourth nine-day periods of winter. “On the seventh and eighth days of the twelfth lunar month, even cold crows freeze to death.” These two days mark the coldest period in the Northern Hemisphere, when yang energy lies dormant underground while yin cold lingers on the surface—alternating between the desire for warmth and lingering chill.

The twelfth lunar month—the “Laba Month”—is a pivotal period bridging winter’s storage and spring’s rebirth, marking an important juncture for the transformation between yin and yang. During this month, the spleen energy in the human body is at its peak, while kidney qi begins to decline; meanwhile, liver qi gradually strengthens. As a result, internal heat surges while external coldness accumulates. Thus, porridge made from grains and beans is consumed to nourish yin and reduce internal heat—nourishing the spleen’s yin and cooling the stomach’s fire—to prevent excessive stomach fire from harming the liver wood. It can be said that Laba porridge serves as a preparatory step for the arrival of spring.

For enterprise onboarding, investment and franchise opportunities, advertising placements, product launches, and more, please contact us.

Customer service phone: 400-0116-456

More exciting content from China Carbon Net

Can be through

Long press/scan the QR code below.