#art

Wendy Soong

Los Angeles, CA · a month ago

🧄The Laba Festival 🧄 The Laba Festival originated from ancient year-end "La Sacrifices," important rituals for worshiping ancestors and deities to pray for harvest and good fortune. Traditionally, this day is also believed to mark the enlightenment of Buddha Shakyamuni, known as the "Dharma Treasure Festival," which gradually evolved into a folk celebration. A popular saying goes: "Little one, don’t be greedy—after Laba, the New Year is near!" This captures how Laba kicks off the Spring Festival season. The term "La" carries three main meanings: First, "La means connection," symbolizing the transition from the old to the new. Second, "La relates to hunting," referring to offering game in sacrifices to ancestors and gods. Third, "La means driving away epidemics and welcoming spring," expressing the wish to ward off illness and greet the coming year. Main Traditions · Enjoying Laba Congee: Made from mixed grains, beans, and dried fruits, this is the core custom of the festival, with regional variations in ingredients and flavors. · Specialty Foods: Examples include garlic pickled in vinegar in North China, Laba tofu in Qixian, Anhui, and Laba noodles in Guanzhong, Shaanxi. · La Sacrifices: Offering prayers to ancestors and household gods—such as door, hearth, and well deities—for a prosperous and peaceful year ahead. · Eating Ice: There’s a folk belief: "The year’s success depends on Laba ice." People collect water to freeze the day before Laba, then eat the ice on the festival