How much do you know about the meaning behind a bowl of laba porridge?
Laba Festival, a festival full of strong New Year's flavor and traditional culture, is here again! On this day, every household will boil a bowl of fragrant laba porridge, which is really mouth-watering. Still, you know what? This laba porridge is not only delicious, it also has a deep meaning and symbolism!
First of all, let's talk about the origin of this laba congee. According to legend, Laba porridge originated from the ancient "Battle of Red Beans". At that time, in order to avoid the pursuit of the government, the Red Mei Army made a pot of multigrain porridge on the eighth day of the lunar month to satisfy hunger. Later, this pot of multigrain porridge was handed down and became today's Laba porridge. Therefore, eating laba porridge also has the meaning of praying for peace, health and auspiciousness.
Laba Festival also has a profound cultural connotation. In traditional Chinese culture, Laba Festival symbolizes a good harvest, good fortune, harmony and reunion. On this holiday, people will give each other gifts, dinners, ancestral worship, etc., as a way to express their concern and blessings for their relatives and friends. At the same time, Laba Festival is also a festival to pray for good luck in the coming year, and people will pray for peace, smoothness and happiness in the coming year through various rituals.
In addition to these allegories and symbolisms, Laba also has some interesting customs. For example, in some places, people will use Laba porridge to rub on the lintel, which means "sticking to the door god", hoping to ward off evil spirits and drive away disasters; In some places, people will feed their poultry with laba porridge, believing that it will ward off the plague and allow the poultry to grow healthily.
Of course, Laba Festival is accompanied by delicious food. In addition to the fragrant laba congee, there are many other traditional delicacies in this festival. For example, laba garlic, laba noodles, laba tofu and so on. These delicacies have their own characteristics and meanings, allowing people to enjoy the food while also feeling the strong traditional cultural atmosphere.
Speaking of which, are you already eager to make a bowl of delicious laba porridge? Don't worry, let me teach you how to make an authentic bowl of Laba porridge! First of all, you need to prepare various ingredients, such as glutinous rice, red beans, mung beans, soybeans, black beans, lotus seeds, red dates, longan, etc. Then, put various ingredients into the pot according to a certain proportion, add an appropriate amount of water, and slowly boil over low heat. During the boiling process, you can stir it appropriately to avoid the bottom of the batter. When the porridge is thick, add an appropriate amount of sugar or honey to taste. In this way, a bowl of fragrant laba porridge is ready!
While enjoying Laba congee, don't forget to share this happiness with your family and friends. You can choose some beautiful packaging boxes or insulated buckets to give Laba congee to relatives, friends or elders. Not only will they feel cared for and blessed by you, but they will also be able to enjoy this delicious traditional food together.
In conclusion, Laba is a festival full of joy and blessings. In this festival, we can taste delicious traditional food and feel the strong cultural atmosphere. At the same time, by participating in various activities and rituals, we can also pray for peace, smoothness, and happiness in the coming year. So, let's celebrate Laba together!