Tuesday is Laba, the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, and
the smell of Laba porridge has again pervaded Chinese kitchens.
Restaurants and snack bars in Beijing started serving this
seasonal dish last week, and expect a sales peak on Tuesday.
Citizens can also eat a bowl of Laba porridge for free in many
Buddhist temples, since the tradition of celebrating Laba Festival
originated in Buddhist culture.
In Guanghua Temple in central Beijing, more than 20 workers and
volunteer citizens started cooking Laba porridge in twelve huge
pots on Monday night, which they expect to hand out to several
thousands of temple-goers on Tuesday.
Residents in a Hangzhou
community cook and eat Laba porridge together. Laba Festival, the
eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, falls on January 15 this
year. (photo: zjol.com.cn)
Fang Hui Chun Tang, an old, well-reputed pharmacy in the eastern
Chinese city of Hangzhou, also has the tradition of serving free
porridge on Laba. Nutritious Chinese herbs are mixed into their
dish, and a xylitol-based recipe is prepared for people with
diabetes. The pharmacy expects to receive some 12,000 visitors on
the special day.
Neighborhoods in Chinese cities join up to cook and eat Laba
porridge. Qi Guifeng, 75, is an organizer of one such public meal
in Hangzhou. She called in several senior citizens in her community
to buy the materials and serve the porridge in the community's
public yard.
"We get together to do a good thing and have fun. We are glad
our neighbors can have a bowl of hot porridge," Zhang Meiqin, one
of Qi's neighbors, said.
(CRI January 15, 2008)
