The Ordinary Road of Siheyuan

January 64, 1, the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Wednesday.

The main custom of the Laba Festival is to drink Laba porridge and soak Laba garlic.

The history of eating Laba porridge in my country can last for thousands of years.

"Laba" was originally a Buddhist festival, but it gradually became a well-known folk festival through generations of evolution.Legend has it that on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Sakyamuni became enlightened and became a Buddha after seeing a star at night.

Therefore, Laba Festival is also called "Dharma Treasure Festival", "Buddha Enlightenment Festival", "Enlightenment Meeting" and so on.

Naturally, there are more legends about Laba in our country.

The custom of folks drinking "Laba porridge" on Laba day began in the Song Dynasty.

Since the Qing Dynasty, every year on the Laba Festival, the Lama Temple in the capital city will also hold a grand Laba ceremony.Drinking Laba porridge, many northerners also like to eat eight garlic.Laba garlic is mainly popular in northern China, especially in North China.In the Guanzhong area, it is also popular to eat Laba noodles.This is mainly because there was no or little rice production in some areas in the north, and people ate Laba noodles instead of Laba porridge.

Laba porridge is also called Qibao five-flavor porridge. On the day of Laba, whether it is the imperial court, government, temples or ordinary people’s homes, they all make Laba porridge.In the Qing Dynasty, the custom of drinking Laba porridge was even more prevalent.

In the court, the emperor, empress, prince, etc. all want to give Laba porridge to ministers of civil and military affairs and maids in the court, and distribute rice and fruits to various temples for monks to eat.

Among the people, every family also cooks Laba porridge to offer sacrifices to their ancestors.

There are many varieties of Laba porridge in different places.

The ones in Beijing are the most particular, and there are many things mixed with rice, such as red dates, lotus seeds, walnuts, chestnuts, almonds, pine nuts, longan, hazelnuts, grapes, ginkgo, water chestnut, black hair, roses, red beans, peanuts...

There are no less than twenty kinds in total.

On the night of the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, people began to get busy, washing rice, soaking fruit, peeling, removing the core, sorting carefully, and then cooking in the middle of the night, and then stewing it on a low heat until the next morning. It's done.People who are more particular about it first carve the fruits into human shapes, animals, and patterns, and then boil them in a pot.

What is more distinctive is to put fruit lions in Laba porridge.The fruit lion is a lion-shaped object made of several kinds of fruits. The body of the lion is made of crispy dates that have been peeled off and dried, half of a walnut kernel is used as the lion's head, peach kernels are used as the lion's feet, and sweet almonds are used 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 larger, you can place two lions or four little lions.

What's more exquisite is to use food with various colors, such as jujube paste, sweetened bean paste, yam, haw jelly, etc., to make the images of Eight Immortals, Longevity Stars and Arhats.

This kind of decorated Laba porridge can only be seen on the table of the former big temple.After the Laba porridge is cooked, you must first worship the gods and ancestors.Afterwards, if you want to present it to relatives and friends, you must send it out before noon.In the end, the whole family eats it.If you keep the leftover Laba porridge for a few days, it is a good sign, which means that it is more than every year.

If you give the porridge to the poor, it will be good for yourself.Laba porridge also has the function of witchcraft among the people.If there are flowers and fruit trees in the yard, you should smear some Laba porridge on the branches, I believe they will bear more fruit in the coming year.On the day of Laba, in addition to worshiping ancestors and gods, there are also mourning for the subjugated country and mourning.

Soaking Laba garlic is a custom in the north, especially in North China.As the name suggests, garlic is brewed on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.In fact, the ingredients are very simple, that is, vinegar and garlic cloves.

The method is also extremely simple. Put the peeled garlic cloves into a container that can be sealed, such as a bottle, then pour vinegar, seal the mouth and put it in a cold place.Slowly, the garlic soaked in vinegar will turn green, and finally it will become green all over, like emerald jasper.

Why do people in the old capital prepare Laba garlic on this day?
It is said that there is such a small allusion: the Chinese character for garlic in Laba Suan has the same pronunciation as the word "suan". In the old days, various shops and shops in the capital had the custom of closing accounts in the twelfth lunar month, that is, to calculate the profit and loss of a year. Foreign debts owed and trade receivables owed.

At that time, the counting was usually started on Laba Day, just as the saying goes, "After eating Laba rice, the year will be done." In the old days, the Laba Festival was also called "Laba Counting".

"Children, don't be greedy, after the Laba Festival is the New Year", when the Laba Festival comes, it means that the Spring Festival is getting closer.

The Laba Festival is also a festival for worshiping ancestors and gods, praying for a good harvest and auspiciousness.

According to legend, the Laba Festival is also related to commemorating the hero Yue Fei.

Starting from Laba, there will be more stalls selling goods on the street, such as those selling Spring Festival couplets, New Year pictures, honey offerings, daffodils, etc.

These are only available in this season.Also from now on, the heart to welcome the Spring Festival is becoming more and more urgent.Remove the old and welcome the new, prepare new year's goods, sweep dust and clean things.
Just waiting for the arrival of the Spring Festival.

There is also such a catchphrase in the old capital: "Laba porridge, laba garlic, send letters to those who put up debts, and pay back money to debtors."

People in the capital, on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the atmosphere of the New Year is better every day.

After the "Laba Festival", the prelude to the Spring Festival kicks off, and happy things will continue to unfold in front of us.The women are busy doing needlework, making new shoes, embroidering pillows, cutting new clothes, and making plans for the New Year.

The folk flower show has also begun to be organized, and cultural activities have been rehearsed.Although the "Laba" season is on the ninth day of the cold, the people of the capital welcome the new year with great enthusiasm, and every household accumulates money and supplies to enjoy the good harvest of a year of hard work.A fiery heart warms a harmonious and happy home, making life full of infinite joy and warmth.

At noon, He Yuzhu warmed "Laba porridge" and "auspicious cake" with brown sugar and white sugar, and served them on the table. The family spent "Laba" happily in the warm room like spring, and tasted the warmth and peace of traditional festivals together. , This is also thanks to the ground cage that He Yuzhu had someone install before.

After drinking the porridge, they carry the cans and go out, and send the specially prepared "Laba porridge" and hair cakes to the people in the compound, and also prepare tea and candy to receive neighbors, relatives and friends who come to the door.This harmonious atmosphere is full of deep friendship, which makes He Yuzhu feel warm.

Laba Festival also has her beautiful meaning.

First of all, to express the good wishes of praying for a good harvest and auspiciousness, the Laba Festival, in the name of "La Festival", expresses a kind of good wishes for the coming year from the people who have worked for a year.

On the surface, people pay homage to the gods with various harvested crops, offer sacrifices to their ancestors, thank the gods for the agricultural fruits they have given them, thank their ancestors for their blessings in production and life, and at the same time pray for good weather, abundant grains and prosperity in the coming year. The career is developed and has a deep superstitious color.

But if you think about it carefully, this kind of belief worship has its practical purpose under the cloak of superstition, and behind the illusory utilitarianism is its direct material utilitarianism.

In an era of low productivity, superstition has the effect of spiritual comfort and spiritual purification. It is understandable to express our earnest yearning for a better life in this way. We must see the sincere heart from under the superstitious cloak.

Secondly, to show the joy of celebrating the agricultural harvest, the Laba porridge, the symbolic custom of the Laba Festival, is actually a great display of the agricultural harvest.

As Lao She said in the article "Spring Festival in Beijing": "On the day of Laba, people's homes and temples all cook Laba porridge. This special porridge is used to worship ancestors and gods. A show of pride—this porridge is made from all kinds of rice, all kinds of beans, and all kinds of dried fruits. This is not porridge but a small agricultural exhibition.”

This kind of Laba porridge, which reflects the abundance of farm food and everything that one expects to find, can indeed reflect the gratifying scene of a bumper harvest, the joy of people creating a better life, and the special taste of people enjoying a happy life.

Finally, as an effective means of creating harmonious interpersonal relationships, traditional festivals in our country are always restrained and reserved, and the circle is generally limited to the joy and harmony among family members. However, the Laba Festival seems to have stepped out of the small circle of family members. People pass the gift and acceptance of Laba porridge , establishing a broader emotional connection.

In the Song Dynasty, every time it came to Laba, whether it was the imperial court, government, temples, or common people’s homes, they all had to cook Laba porridge.

Among the people, every family also uses Laba porridge to worship their ancestors. At the same time, the whole family eats it together and presents it to relatives and friends.The Laba Festival uses the agricultural fruits produced by the land to effectively promote the communication between people and the harmony of interpersonal relationships.