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Next: about 15 Jan 2027

Laba and laba congee

The eighth day of the twelfth month, with a congee of grains, beans and dates and Laba garlic pickled green in vinegar.

A tile drawn for this day, not a photograph.

Spices for Laba and laba congee

Laba marks the day on which the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, and temples serve laba congee, a porridge of rice, millet, beans, lotus seed, jujube and nuts, sweetened with sugar. In northern China, whole garlic cloves are steeped in rice vinegar from this day until they turn jade green by the new year, for eating with dumplings. The two spice-related traditions here are sweet and sour, and both look ahead to the Lunar New Year feasts.

The spices

GingerAdded to some sweet porridges.

Also part of it, and being written: Garlic (Laba garlic, pickled green in vinegar for dumplings.).

About this page

Written by the EveryMasala desk with AI assistance. Background: "Laba Festival" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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