Ethnic customs: origin and customs of Laba Festival

Today is the Laba Festival, which is a very auspicious day. The hope, success and joy of the new year start from this day. Sincerely wish you all a prosperous career--- Zhuge Changqing

The most important festival of the twelfth lunar month is the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. It was called "the twelfth lunar month" in ancient times and commonly known as "the twelfth lunar month". Since the pre-Qin Dynasty, the Laba Festival has been used to worship ancestors and gods, and pray for a good harvest and good luck. In addition to the activities of worshiping ancestors and gods, people also have to fight the epidemic during the Laba Festival. This activity originated from the ancient Nuo (the ancient exorcism ceremony). One of the medical methods in prehistoric times is to expel ghosts and cure diseases. As a witchcraft activity, the custom of beating drums to drive away the epidemic in the twelfth month still remains in areas such as Xinhua, Hunan Province.

It is said that Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, became a Buddhist on the eighth day of December. Therefore, Laba is also a Buddhist festival, also known as the "Buddha Becomes a Taoist Festival".

Laba porridge is also called "seven treasures and five flavors porridge". It is said that Laba porridge came from India. Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, was originally the son of King Jingfan of Kapila Wei State (now in Nepal) in northern India. He saw that all living beings were suffering from the pain of birth, aging, disease and death, and was dissatisfied with the theocratic rule of the Brahman at that time. He abandoned the throne and became a monk. After six years of hard work, he realized the truth and became a Buddha under the Bodhi tree on the 8th of December. During these six years of asceticism, I only ate one hemp and one rice a day. Later generations will not forget his sufferings and eat porridge on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month every year as a memorial.

China has a history of drinking Laba porridge for more than 1000 years. It began in the Song Dynasty. Every Laba day, whether it is the court, the government, the temple or the people's home, Laba porridge is made. In the Qing Dynasty, the custom of drinking Laba porridge was even more prevalent. In the palace, the emperor, queen, prince and so on should give Laba porridge to the ministers of civil and military affairs and the attendants, and distribute rice, fruit and so on to the monasteries for the monks to eat. In the folk, every household should also make Laba porridge to worship their ancestors; At the same time, the family gathered together to eat and give gifts to relatives and friends.

The patterns of Laba porridge in various parts of China are very different. Among them, Peiping is the most fastidious. There are many items mixed in white rice, such as red dates, lotus seeds, walnuts, chestnuts, almonds, pine nuts, longans, hazelnuts, grapes, ginkgo, water chestnut, green silk, roses, red beans, peanuts... a total of no less than 20 kinds. On the evening of the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, people began to get busy. They washed rice, soaked fruit, peeled, peeled, pitted, and picked carefully. Then they began to cook at midnight, and then simmered until the morning of the next day.

People who are more fastidious should first carve the fruit into human shapes, animals and patterns, and then boil it in the pot. The more characteristic is to put "fruit lion" in Laba porridge. The fruit lion is a lion shaped thing made of several kinds of fruits. It uses the crisp date that has been roasted and dried with the date stone as the lion's body, half of the walnut kernel as the lion's head, the peach kernel as the lion's foot, and the sweet almond as the lion's tail. Then stick them together with sugar and put them in the porridge bowl, like a little lion. If the bowl is large, you can put two lions or four little lions. What is more exquisite is to use jujube paste, bean paste, yam, hawthorn cake and other foods with various colors to make them into eight immortals, old longevity stars and Arhat statues. This kind of decorated Laba porridge can only be seen on the altar of the previous big temple.

After the Laba porridge is cooked, you should first worship the gods and ancestors. After that, they should give gifts to relatives and friends. They must be sent out before noon. The last is for the whole family. The leftover Laba porridge, which has been preserved for a few days, is a good omen, which means "more than enough every year". If you give porridge to the poor, it is more for yourself.

Laba porridge also plays a role of witchcraft in the folk. If flowers and fruit trees are planted in the yard, we should also smear some Laba porridge on the branches, and believe that more fruits will be produced in the coming year.

Namo Amitabha. Namo Amitabha. Namo Amitabha.

Nanwu Master Sakyamuni Buddha. Blessed life is limitless. Confucius. Jesus. Mohammed.

All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the three generations in ten directions.

All immortals in the three realms and ten directions.

All sages at all times and in all countries.

Don't do any evil, and do all good. Persistence and responsiveness.

Zhuge Changqing wishes all the people who are destined to respect their parents and do good deeds and accumulate virtue rich and auspicious!

    民族风情：腊八节的由来及习俗

   今天是腊八节，是一个非常吉祥的日子，新一年的希望、成功、喜悦，都从这一天开始。衷心祝愿各位朋友：事业腾飞、一好百好。               ---诸葛长青

  腊月最重大的节日，是十二月初八，古代称为“腊日”，俗称“腊八节”。从先秦起，腊八节都是用来祭祀祖先和神灵，祈求丰收和吉祥。腊八节除祭祖敬神的活动外，人们还要逐疫。这项活动来源于古代的傩（古代驱鬼避疫的仪式）。史前时代的医疗方法之一即驱鬼治疾。作为巫术活动的腊月击鼓驱疫之俗，今在湖南新化等地区仍有留存。

  据说，佛教创始人释迦牟尼的成道之日也在十二月初八，因此腊八也是佛教徒的节日，又称“佛成道节”。

  腊八这一天有吃腊八粥的习俗，腊八粥也叫“七宝五味粥”。据说腊八粥传自印度。佛教的创始者释迦牟尼本是古印度北部迦毗罗卫国（今尼泊尔境内）净饭王的儿子，他见众生受生老病死等痛苦折磨，又不满当时婆罗门的神权统治，舍弃王位，出家修道。初无收获，后经六年苦行，于腊月八日，在菩提树下悟道成佛。在这六年苦行中，每日仅食一麻一米。后人不忘他所受的苦难，于每年腊月初八吃粥以做纪念。

  我国喝腊八粥的历史，已有一千多年。最早开始于宋代。每逢腊八这一天，不论是朝廷、官府、寺院还是黎民百姓家都要做腊八粥。到了清朝，喝腊八粥的风俗更是盛行。在宫廷，皇帝、皇后、皇子等都要向文武大臣、侍从宫女赐腊八粥，并向各个寺院发放米、果等供僧侣食用。在民间，家家户户也要做腊八粥，祭祀祖先；同时，合家团聚在一起食用，馈赠亲朋好友。
  中国各地腊八粥的花样，争奇竞巧，品种繁多。其中以北平的最为讲究，搀在白米中的物品较多，如红枣、莲子、核桃、栗子、杏仁、松仁、桂圆、榛子、葡萄、白果、菱角、青丝、玫瑰、红豆、花生……总计不下二十种。人们在腊月初七的晚上，就开始忙碌起来，洗米、泡果、拨皮、去核、精拣然后在半夜时分开始煮，再用微火炖，一直炖到第二天的清晨，腊八粥才算熬好了。
  更为讲究的人家，还要先将果子雕刻成人形、动物、花样，再放在锅中煮。比较有特色的就是在腊八粥中放上“果狮”。果狮是用几种果子做成的狮形物，用剔去枣核烤干的脆枣作为狮身，半个核桃仁作为狮头，桃仁作为狮脚，甜杏仁用来作狮子尾巴。然后用糖粘在一起，放在粥碗里，活象一头小狮子。如果碗较大，可以摆上双狮或是四头小狮子。更讲究的，就是用枣泥、豆沙、山药、山楂糕等具备各种颜色的食物，捏成八仙人、老寿星、罗汉像。这种装饰的腊八粥，只有在以前的大寺庙的供桌上才可以见到。
  腊八粥熬好之后，要先敬神祭祖。之后要赠送亲友，一定要在中午之前送出去。最后才是全家人食用。吃剩的腊八粥，保存着吃了几天还有剩下来的，却是好兆头，取其“年年有余”的意义。如果把粥送给穷苦的人吃，那更是为自己积德。
  腊八粥在民间还有巫术的作用。假如院子里种着花卉和果树，也要在枝干上涂抹一些腊八粥，相信来年多结果实。

南无阿弥陀佛。南无阿弥陀佛。南无阿弥陀佛。

南无本师释迦牟尼佛。福生无量天尊。孔子。耶稣。穆罕默德。

十方三世诸佛菩萨。

三界十方一切神仙。

古今中外一切圣贤。 

     诸恶莫作，众善奉行。持之以恒、有求必应。       

(This article is an original article by Zhuge Changqing, and the pictures are selected from the Internet. Welcome to forward it, and please indicate the source for forwarding)

Introduction to Zhuge Changqing: Zhuge Changqing, the inheritor and promoter of traditional Chinese culture, is willing to "learn from sages, promote virtue, revitalize China and benefit the world" together with people with the same ideals in the world.

(Zhuge Changqing: zhuge8031@163.com ）

Zhuge Changqing mailbox：

zhuge8031@163.com

Zhuge Changqing's Chinese Dream

Learn from sages and carry forward virtue

Revitalizing China for the benefit of the world

 （本文是诸葛长青原创文章，图片选自网络。欢迎转发，转发引用请注明出处）

诸葛长青简介：诸葛长青，中国国学传统文化传承弘扬者，愿与天下志同道合者一起“学习圣贤、弘扬善德、振兴中华、造福世界”。

（诸葛长青：zhuge8031@163.com）

Zhuge Changqing mailbox：

zhuge8031@163.com

  诸葛长青中国梦  

学习圣贤 弘扬善德

振兴中华 造福世界

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