Laba FestivalLaba Festival Origins

The character “腊” (la) in “Laba” is key to understanding the festival’s origin. In ancient Chinese, “腊” is not a single meaning but carries three distinct cultural connotations. The first is its original meaning of dried meat. The Shuowen Jiezi explains: “腊, dried meat.” In ancient times, people would air‑dry hunted game to make preserved meat for long‑term storage and sacrificial use. The second is as a name for sacrifice. Kong Yingda’s commentary on the Book of Rites · Monthly Ordinances states: “腊 means hunting. It refers to hunting animals to sacrifice to ancestors and the five household spirits.” The La sacrifice used hunted animals to honour ancestors and household deities. The third is as a name for the month — because the La sacrifice was held in the twelfth lunar month, that month came to be called the “La month” (腊月). These three meanings are interconnected: in the La month, people hunted animals, made dried meat, and held the La sacrifice — a single character “腊” links hunting, sacrifice, and the yearly cycle.

Before the name “Laba” appeared, the year‑end sacrificial festival had different names in different eras. In the pre‑Qin period, the Xia dynasty called it “Jiaping,” the Shang dynasty called it “Qingsi,” and the Zhou dynasty called it “Dala.” After the Han dynasty, it was uniformly renamed “La.” The fixing of the La Day on the eighth day of the twelfth month was completed during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. The Jingchu Suishiji by Zong Lin of the Southern Liang dynasty clearly records: “The eighth day of the twelfth month is the La Day.” From this point, the eighth day of the twelfth month was established as a fixed date, becoming a lasting custom. The name “Laba” as a festival name gradually evolved from “La Day” to “Laba Festival” after the date was fixed, with the cultural infusion of the Buddhist “Buddha’s Enlightenment Day” and the popularity of Laba porridge as a seasonal food.

The formation of the Laba Festival did not originate from a single tradition but from the gradual fusion of multiple cultural sources over a long historical period. These sources include the ancient imperial Great La sacrifice, the year‑end ancestral temple La sacrifice, the evolution and establishment of the La Day date from the pre‑Qin period through the Han to the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and the later influx of Buddhist “Buddha’s Enlightenment Day” and Daoist “Wanghou La” beliefs. Converging from different directions, they jointly formed the foundation of the Laba Festival.

The Zha Sacrifice and the La Sacrifice

In the pre‑Qin period, there were two important year‑end sacrifices — the “Zha sacrifice” (蜡祭) and the “La sacrifice” (腊祭). Although they sound similar (in ancient rhyme books, zha was pronounced zhà, and la was pronounced là), they were two different sacrifices with different origins and objects.

The Zha sacrifice (zhà jì) was a great year‑end thanksgiving offering to the agricultural deities. According to the Book of Rites · Suburban Sacrifices: “The Son of Heaven performs the Great Zha of Eight. Lord Yiqi was the first to institute the Zha. Zha means ‘seeking’ — in the twelfth month of the year, all things are gathered and offered in sacrifice.” The objects of the Zha sacrifice were the eight deities closely related to agricultural production — Xianse (Shennong), Sise (Houji), Nong (the field official), Youbiaozhuì (the field official’s office), cat and tiger (which protected crops by eating rats and wild boars), Fang (embankments), Shuiyong (ditches), and insects. The prayer of the Zha sacrifice is still preserved in the Book of Rites · Suburban Sacrifices: “Let the earth return to its abode, let the waters return to their channels, let the insects not arise, let the grasses and trees return to their marshes!” These four lines, in an imperative tone, express the hope that the land not be washed away, the waters not flood, insects not cause harm, and weeds not grow in the fields — the most simple and sincere prayer of ancient people for a bountiful harvest.

The Zha sacrifice was extremely lively, resembling a carnival. Zigong, after witnessing a Zha sacrifice, exclaimed, “The whole country is as if mad with joy.” Confucius explained: “The toil of a hundred days is rewarded with the joy of a single day — this is beyond your knowledge. To bend a bow without relaxing it is what even the wise kings could not do; to relax it without bending is what they would not do. Alternating tension and relaxation — that is the way of the wise kings.” The people toiled in the fields all year for this single day of enjoyment — this is the rhythm of “tension and relaxation” in agrarian civilisation.

The La sacrifice (là jì) was the year‑end sacrifice to ancestors and household deities. The Book of Rites · Monthly Ordinances records: “In the first month of winter… the Son of Heaven prays to the heavenly spirits for the coming year, makes great offerings at the communal altars and village gates, sacrifices to the ancestors and the five household spirits, and rewards the farmers with rest.” The objects of the La sacrifice included the heavenly spirits (sun, moon, stars), ancestors, and the five household spirits (gate, door, well, stove, and central hall). If the Zha sacrifice was “thanking the natural deities,” the La sacrifice was “worshipping the clan ancestors and household spirits” — the two, one external and one internal, formed a complete year‑end sacrificial system.

The Zha and La sacrifices were initially two distinct but related rites; later, they gradually merged. The Eastern Han scholar Zheng Xuan already interpreted them together, and Tang scholar Kong Yingda further noted: “This is what the Rites of Zhou calls the Zha sacrifice. The heavenly spirits refer to the sun, moon, and stars. The great offering refers to the slaughter of many animals.” After the Qin and Han dynasties, the Zha and La sacrifices gradually merged into a unified “La sacrifice.” This merger was not merely a consolidation of names but a deep integration of two sacrificial spirits — the agricultural deities and the ancestral deities were brought into the same year‑end ritual framework, and the La sacrifice henceforth carried the dual meaning of “repaying heaven and earth” and “repaying the ancestors.”

From La Day to Laba

Although the “La sacrifice” had a fixed month (the La month), its exact date remained unfixed for a long time. In the pre‑Qin period, the date of the La sacrifice was not uniform. The Rites of Zhou records that the Zhou dynasty held the La sacrifice in the first month of winter (the tenth lunar month). The Qin dynasty held it in the twelfth month. In the Han dynasty, the La Day received a unified date — the third xu day after the Winter Solstice. The Shuowen Jiezi clearly records: “腊, the third xu day after the Winter Solstice, when a sacrifice is offered to all deities.” This regulation linked the La Day to the important solar term of the Winter Solstice, placing it at a specific temporal node of yin‑yang transition. Ying Shao’s Fengsu Tongyi further explains: “腊 means junction — it is the junction of the old and new, hence a great sacrifice is held to report achievements.” The character “junction” (接) captures the essence of the La Day — positioned at the transition between the old year and the new, people held great sacrifices to report the year’s achievements and welcome the new year.

The Han dynasty regarded the La Day as an important festival. The emperor held banquets on the La Day, and officials drank together in celebration. The La Day, together with the New Year’s Day of the first month, was an important time marker for bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new. The famous “La gifts” system of the Han dynasty was an institutional arrangement in which the emperor bestowed gifts on officials on the La Day.

The fixing of the La Day on the eighth day of the twelfth month was completed during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. The Jingchu Suishiji by Zong Lin of the Southern Liang dynasty clearly records: “The eighth day of the twelfth month is the La Day.” From this point, the eighth day of the twelfth month was established as a fixed date, becoming a lasting custom. This fixing was not accidental — binding the La Day to the eighth day of the twelfth month preserved the “La month” time frame while specifying the eighth day, making it easy for people to remember and pass on. At the same time, the coincidence of the eighth day of the twelfth month with the Buddhist “Buddha’s Enlightenment Day” infused the Laba Festival with new cultural meaning.

The evolution of the La Day date from the pre‑Qin period through the Han to the Northern and Southern Dynasties is a historical witness to the Laba Festival’s journey from antiquity to maturity. After the date was fixed, the festival also acquired various names in different eras. In the pre‑Qin period, the Xia dynasty called it “Jiaping,” the Shang called it “Qingsi,” and the Zhou called it “Dala.” After the Han dynasty, it was uniformly renamed “La.” These different names reflect the festival’s long evolution.

The Introduction of Buddhism

The formation of the Laba Festival cannot be separated from the profound influence of Buddhist culture. The introduction of Buddhism infused this ancient La Day sacrifice with entirely new cultural meaning.

According to Buddhist scriptures, before attaining enlightenment, Sakyamuni had practised asceticism for many years, his body emaciated. He realised that asceticism was not the path to ultimate liberation and decided to give it up. At this time, he met a shepherdess (or cowherd) who offered him milk‑rice (a porridge of milk and grains). After eating it, Sakyamuni regained his strength, sat down under a Bodhi tree, and vowed, “I will not rise from this seat until I have attained perfect enlightenment.” After seven days and nights of deep meditation, at dawn on the eighth day of the twelfth month, he attained supreme perfect enlightenment. This day is the Buddhist “Buddha’s Enlightenment Day.”

Later generations, in gratitude to the Buddha and to benefit all beings, emulated the milkmaid’s offering by cooking porridge on this day to offer to the Buddha and to give back to the faithful. The origin of Laba porridge is precisely the Buddhist milk‑rice offering. As the Yuan dynasty Chixiu Baizhang Qinggui records: “On the eighth day of the twelfth month, we respectfully encounter the anniversary of the enlightenment of our teacher, the Great Monk Sakyamuni Tathagata, and lead the assembly of monks to prepare incense, flowers, lamps, candles, tea, fruits, and delicacies as offerings.”

After Buddhism was introduced to China, the Buddha’s Enlightenment Day coincided temporally with the indigenous La Day sacrifice (both falling on the eighth day of the twelfth month) and shared a spiritual connection — both involved “gratitude” and “offering.” This dual coincidence of time and spirit provided an excellent opportunity for the fusion of Buddhist culture and indigenous culture.

According to the Dreams of the Eastern Capital, the Laba Festival in Kaifeng during the Northern Song dynasty already showed a deep fusion of Buddhism and folk customs: “On the eighth day, groups of monks and nuns in the streets chant the Buddha’s name in formation. Using silver, copper, or fine basins, they place a golden or wooden Buddha statue, sprinkle it with fragrant water, and go door to door teaching. The great temples hold Buddha‑bathing assemblies and present seven‑treasure five‑flavour porridge to their disciples, called Laba porridge. On this day, every household also cooks porridge with fruits and other ingredients.” This passage vividly shows the coexistence and interweaving of Buddhist and folk Laba customs — temples held Buddha‑bathing ceremonies and distributed porridge, while ordinary people also cooked porridge with various ingredients.

This coexistence and fusion elevated the Laba Festival from a purely indigenous sacrificial festival to a comprehensive festival combining Buddhist sacredness and secular life. As scholars have noted: “The Laba Festival and the Kitchen God Festival are festivals formed by the ancient Chinese people, not festivals that appeared only after Buddhism was introduced to China.” Buddhism did not “create” the Laba Festival but “enriched” it — a vivid example of indigenous culture absorbing and transforming foreign culture. As research on Dunhuang manuscripts has revealed, the “milk‑rice” in Buddhist scriptures converged with the “medicinal food” and “milk medicine” frequently mentioned in Dunhuang documents; the Laba diet of ancient Dunhuang monastic communities was directly inherited from the Buddhist “milk‑rice.”

Daoist “Wanghou La”

In addition to Buddhism, Daoism also provided another system of meaning for the Laba Festival. In traditional Chinese festivals, there is the concept of “Three Yuan and Five La,” all closely related to Daoism. The “Five La” respectively refer to: the first day of the first month (Spring Festival) as Tian La, the fifth day of the fifth month (Dragon Boat Festival) as Di La, the seventh day of the seventh month (Qixi Festival) as Daode La, the first day of the tenth month (Winter Clothing Festival) as Minsui La, and the eighth day of the twelfth month (Laba Festival) as Wanghou La.

According to the Daoist text Yunji Qiqian: “The eighth day of the twelfth month (Laba Festival) is Wanghou La, when the Five Emperors gather at the Upper Xuan Capital Jade Capital.” The Chisongzi Zhangli also records: “The eighth day of the twelfth month is Wanghou La. The Five Emperors examine the dwelling places of living beings and assign their ranks.” Daoism holds that the Five La days are suitable for cultivating the self and sacrificing to ancestors. Daoism inherited traditional Chinese ritual content; both the “Three Yuan” and “Five La” are important Daoist festivals, containing both the secular dimension of the La sacrifice and special religious meanings. The Daoist “Wanghou La” doctrine provided another faith foundation for the Laba Festival.

Multiple streams converged — Buddhism, Daoism, and the indigenous La Day tradition met and merged on the eighth day of the twelfth month, ultimately creating the rich and diverse cultural face of the Laba Festival.

Laba porridge is the most iconic seasonal food of the Laba Festival, and its evolution itself is a condensed cultural history of the festival.

The Origin of Laba Porridge

The origin of Laba porridge can be traced back to the milk‑rice offered by the milkmaid to Sakyamuni as recorded in Buddhist scriptures. After Buddhism was introduced to China, monasteries would cook porridge on the eighth day of the twelfth month, the Buddha’s Enlightenment Day, as an offering to the Buddha, called “Buddha porridge” or “Laba porridge.” Laba porridge was initially a religious food in Buddhist monasteries, used for offering to the Buddha and distributing to the faithful.

In the Song dynasty, Laba porridge was called “five‑flavour porridge” or “seven‑treasure five‑flavour porridge.” The “five flavours” referred to the addition of five different ingredients; the “seven treasures” referred to the use of seven precious fruits. Whether “five flavours” or “seven treasures,” both embody the essential characteristic of Laba porridge — “gathering diverse ingredients.” As the Book of Rites · Suburban Sacrifices says, the Zha sacrifice is “in the twelfth month of the year, gathering all things and offering them in sacrifice.” Laba porridge brings together ingredients from all directions, cooked together with rice — this is the meaning of “gathering all things and harmonising a thousand spirits.”

Ingredients and Cultural Symbolism

The traditional ingredients of Laba porridge are extremely rich, generally including rice, millet, corn, Job’s tears, red dates, lotus seeds, peanuts, longan, and various beans (such as red beans, mung beans, soybeans, black beans, kidney beans, etc.). So many ingredients are used because each has its own symbolic meaning — lotus seeds symbolise “successive children,” longan symbolises “reunion,” red dates symbolise “prosperity,” peanuts symbolise “long life,” and beans symbolise “abundance.” With so many fruits together, a bowl of Laba porridge also contains the meanings of harmony, inclusiveness, and completeness.

The preparation of Laba porridge is also very meticulous. Old Beijingers would begin washing rice, soaking fruits, and removing pits on the evening of the seventh day of the twelfth month, then simmer over low heat until the next morning, when the porridge would be ready. After the porridge was cooked, it had to be given to relatives and friends, and must be sent out before noon. Some Laba porridge should be left over, symbolising “surplus year after year.” These practices show that Laba porridge is not just food but a cultural symbol carrying interpersonal relationships, temporal concepts, and auspicious meanings.

Evolution from Buddha Offering to Shared Food

The evolution of Laba porridge from a temple offering to a shared food reflects the transition from religion to secular life. Initially, Laba porridge was a religious food used in monasteries for offering to the Buddha and distributing to the faithful. With the secularisation of Buddhism and socio‑economic development, Buddhist porridge and the folk Laba custom converged in the Song dynasty. In the Song, people began to imitate monasteries in cooking Laba porridge, transforming it from a religious food to a folk seasonal food. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, Laba porridge had become a holiday delicacy shared by all — whether court, government, monasteries, or ordinary households, everyone made Laba porridge. The evolution of Laba porridge from “Buddha porridge” to “home porridge” is a microcosm of the Laba Festival’s transformation from a religious festival to a folk festival.

During the long evolution of the Laba Festival, the infusion of folk legends enriched this originally sacrificial and Buddhist festival with more cultural layers and broader social recognition.

The Legend of Zhu Yuanzhang

A widely circulated legend is associated with Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty. It is said that as a child, Zhu Yuanzhang was poor and worked as a cowherd for a rich man. One year on the eighth day of the twelfth month, starving, he discovered a rat hole and reached inside, finding grains such as rice, peanuts, beans, and corn. He boiled them all in a clay pot, making a porridge that solved his hunger. Another version says that when Zhu Yuanzhang was in prison suffering in the cold, he found red beans, rice, red dates, and other grains from a rat hole and cooked them into porridge. Later, when he became emperor, he suddenly remembered that the day was the eighth day of the twelfth month and casually said, “This is Laba porridge.” Every year on that day, he would have the imperial kitchen cook “Laba porridge,” eating it himself and rewarding his ministers with it. The legend links the Laba Festival with a humble emperor, giving Laba porridge the symbolic meaning of “from hardship to prosperity,” resonating particularly with ordinary people.

The Legend of Yue Fei

Another widely told legend is associated with Yue Fei, the Jin‑resisting hero of the Southern Song dynasty. It is said that when Yue Fei led his troops against the Jin at Zhuxian Town, in the depths of winter, his army lacked food and clothing, suffering from cold and hunger. The people brought porridge, and after the Yue army had eaten their fill of “porridge from a thousand households,” they regained their strength and confidence and returned victorious. The day was the eighth day of the twelfth month. After Yue Fei’s death, to commemorate him, people cooked porridge with mixed grains and beans every Laba, eventually forming a lasting custom. In Henan and other places, Laba porridge is also called “everyone’s meal,” a food used by the people to commemorate Yue Fei. The legend infuses the Laba Festival with the spirit of “loyalty” and “patriotism,” making a bowl of Laba porridge not only a ritual for sacrifice and prayer but also a vessel for remembering and revering a national hero.

“Red Beans to Ward off Ghosts”

An even more ancient legend holds that the Laba Festival comes from the custom of “red beans to ward off ghosts.” It is said that Zhuanxu, one of the Five Emperors of antiquity, had three sons who became evil ghosts after death, specifically frightening children. In ancient times, people widely believed in superstition and feared ghosts and spirits, believing that illnesses and poor health were caused by evil spirits. These ghosts feared nothing but red beans, giving rise to the saying “red beans to ward off ghosts.” Thus, on the eighth day of the twelfth month, people cooked porridge with red beans to dispel pestilence and welcome good fortune. The legend of “red beans to ward off ghosts” links Laba porridge with the ancient belief in warding off evil, revealing the deep cultural meaning of red beans in Laba porridge — they are not just an ingredient but an object of apotropaic power with magical function.

Although these legends may not be historically accurate, they interpret the cultural meaning of the Laba Festival through vivid stories. From Zhu Yuanzhang’s “finding grain in a rat hole” to Yue Fei’s “porridge from a thousand households,” from “red beans to ward off ghosts” to the monastery’s “Buddha porridge” — each legend represents a different social stratum and cultural tradition’s understanding and re‑creation of the Laba Festival. These layered legends transformed the Laba Festival from a single sacrificial festival into a diverse celebration integrating imperial legend, hero worship, magical beliefs, and Buddhist culture.