19:28, 14-Jan-2019
Laba Festival: Beijing temple celebrates by serving up free porridge
Updated
19:18, 17-Jan-2019
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This past weekend was a soupy one for temple-goers across China. That's because Sunday marked the Laba festival, a traditional Chinese holiday on the eighth day of the last month of China's lunar calendar. Temples across the country celebrated by serving free porridge to the public. Our reporter Ding Siyue visited the Dongyue Temple in Beijing to get a taste of the action.
People lining up in the chilly winter season outside of the Dongyue Temple for a warm treat. The Laba porridge, also known as "eight treasure porridge" in Chinese, contains a variety of grains, beans and dried fruits.
The almost 700-year-old protected cultural site is also the location of the Beijing Folk Museum. For the past few years, it has held free porridge giving activities on Laba festival.
JIA JUAN BEIJING FOLK MUSEUM "Our Beijing Folk Museum has always focused on promoting and passing on our traditional Chinese culture. The tradition of giving out porridge here at Dongyue Temple can date back to Qing Dynasty. And for the past few years, we have revived this tradition by distributing free porridge to the public on Laba festival."
Organizers say it takes over 10 hours to cook the porridge and they have to start preparing from the previous night.
As an old saying goes, after Laba, it's the Spring Festival. The Laba festival is often considered as a prelude to the Chinese New Year.
"This is our first time to come here for the Laba festival. We are students from other cities who now study in Beijing, and it's good to feel the atmosphere of Spring Festival here in Beijing. I wish all the people can have a healthy and happy new year."
"I wish our new year can be like this bowl of porridge -- warm and thick, and we can all enjoy a happy and prosperous life."
Chinese people started to eat Laba porridge since Song Dynasty. From imperial court to ordinary people, eating porridge on this day is a must. It can also serve as a gift for relatives and friends as a wish for good luck.