Chinese Culture for Kids series features the Chinese Laba Festival
Happy Chinese Laba Festival 臘八節。腊八节! Do you know the Laba Festival is the day that Kicks off the Preparation for the arrival of the Chinese Lunar New Year?
Chinese Laba festival falls on January 18, 2024. Laba = 臘八。腊八。 臘。腊 La – is the 12th month of the lunar calendar. 八 Ba – is the number 8. Laba is celebrated on the 8th day of the twelfth month on the Chinese lunar calendar.
Traditionally, on the day of Laba, people will have 臘八粥。腊八粥 – Là bā zhōu = Laba congee or Laba porridge.
Having Laba congee on this day is an over 1,000-year-old tradition in China. It is also a day to share. In ancient times Chinese people would cook Laba congee to share with the poor because it was near the end of a year and many ran out of rice and grains for meals.
臘八粥。腊八粥 – Là bā zhōu is also called 八寶粥。八宝粥 – Bā bǎo zhōu = eight treasure porridge. It has the symbolic meaning of auspicious.
Are there 8 different ingredients in Laba congee? Not really. Listed below is a general recipe from a southern region of China.
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Glutinous rice 糯米 -
japonica rice 粳米 -
black rice 黑米 -
longan 桂圓 -
red beans 紅豆 -
lotus seeds 蓮子 -
peanuts 花生 -
dates 紅棗 -
millet 小米 -
sugar 糖
Laba day indicates the beginning of the preparation for the arrival of the Chinese Lunar New Year!
Check out the videos below to see what the Laba Festival is like in China and the legend behind this festival.
After Laba day, many Chinese will start the tradition of deep cleaning of the house and set up the Lunar New Year decorations.
Let’s take a look at videos of how Laba Porridge is made, how the Chinese celebrate Laba by sharing this special dish, and a story of the origin of the Laba Festival.
Making Laba Porridge on Laba Festival. (Audio in Mandarin Chinese)
News feature on Laba Festival. (Audio in English)
Exploring More Resources to Use in Chinese for Kids Lunar New Year Series
Below is a sneak preview of the Chinese Lunar New Year Project-Based Learning Pack
– Traditional Chinese version | Simplified Chinese version
Teaching Resource: 12 Chinese Animal Signs Activity & Culture Learning Unit
Teaching Resource: Greetings & Crafts Learning Unit
Teaching Resource: 12 Chinese Animal Signs Posters Learning Unit
12 Chinese Lunar New Year & Culture Books
Year of the Snake Craft
Make a Chinese New Year Lucky Word Sign Fú Craft
Chinese New Year Lantern Festival Riddle Game Printable
Chinese New Year Classic Greeting Coloring Pages
Chinese New Year Let’s Make Dumplings A Must-Have Recipe
Winter Solstice Dōng Zhì Festival
Chinese New Year Laba Festival
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This is a very lovely tradition. The Laba congee looks very delicious and it is something that I would be interested to try. This is the first time that I have ever heard of such a culinary tradition for Chinese New Year as the Southern Chinese have different traditions and I am of Southern Chinese descent. I also believe that every region in China have their own traditions. In any case, I wish you a very happy, wonderful, healthful, and prosperous Year of the Ram! Cheers!
Another great book for Chinese meals is “Brandon Makes Jiao Zi” by Eugenia Chu.
https://wp.me/p6roXK-ii
Becky, Thank you for the recommendation. We have a feature on Brandon Makes Jiao Zi by Eugenia Chu coming out very soon. Stay tuned.
Happy Laba Festival!