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Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laba_congee
Laba congee (simplified Chinese: 腊八粥; traditional Chinese: 臘八粥; pinyin: làbāzhōu, also simplified Chinese: 八宝粥;traditional Chinese: 八寶粥; pinyin: bābǎozhōu) is a ceremonial congee dish eaten on the eighth day of the twelfth month in the Chinese calendar. It originated in India.
The day on which it is traditionally eaten is commonly known as the Laba Festival. The earliest form of this dish was cooked with red beans and has since developed into many different kinds. It is mainly made up of many kinds of rice, beans, dried fruit, tofu, potato, meat and vegetables.
History
In the Han Dynasty, during the Laba Festival, people did not consume Laba congee as it was used for worshipping the gods.
In the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, the date of the Laba Festival was fixed on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.
In the Song Dynasty, Laba congee was widely consumed throughout China by not only the common people, but also government officials and aristocrats.
In the Qing Dynasty, the Laba Festival was sometimes celebrated as the "Spring Festival", and Laba congee became even more popular.
In the imperial court, the emperor and nobles gave Laba congee to the officials, servants, and others.
Legends
There are several legends in China about the significance of Laba congee.
There are several legends in China about the significance of Laba congee.
Some of these legends are:
The consumption of Laba congee is to commemorate the Song Dynasty general Yue Fei, who is widely regarded as a patriot and national hero in Chinese culture.
The consumption of Laba congee is to commemorate the Song Dynasty general Yue Fei, who is widely regarded as a patriot and national hero in Chinese culture.
Zhu Yuanzhang (the Hongwu Emperor), the founder of the Ming Dynasty, used to live in poverty before he rose to power.
He ate congee during those hard times. After becoming the emperor, he asked the people to eat congee as well.
Siddhārtha Gautama (the Buddha) once attempted to find the right path to awakening by starving himself.
One day, when he was starved and weakened, he met a village girl who gave him milk and rice pudding (congee) after mistaking him for a spirit who granted her a wish.
He attained enlightenment not long after that incident.
(See Gautama Buddha#Awakening for the story.)
The Laba congee is thus sometimes referred to as "Buddha congee" to remember this incident and the Buddha's path to enlightenment.
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Link: https://hk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110109000051KK00717
農曆十二月初八有人叫臘八，什麼叫臘八？臘八當日，古時至今還有人煮一種叫(臘八粥)。請問這粥的含意是什麼，同吃此粥有什麼意義，此臘八粥包含什麼材料。
農曆十二月初八有人叫臘八，什麼叫臘八？臘八當日，古時至今還有人煮一種叫(臘八粥)。請問這粥的含意是什麼，同吃此粥有什麼意義，此臘八粥包含什麼材料。
最佳解答: 《說文》載：“冬至後三戍日臘祭百神。”
可見，冬至後第三個戍日曾是臘日。
後由於佛教介入，臘日改在 十二月初八 ，自此相沿成俗。
何故歲終之月稱“臘”的含義有三：
一曰 “臘者，接也”，寓有新舊交替的意思（《隋書·禮儀志》記載）；
二曰 “臘者同獵”，指田獵獲取禽獸好祭祖祭神，“臘”從“肉”旁，就是用肉“冬祭”；
三曰 “臘者，逐疫迎春”，臘八節又謂之 “佛成道節”，亦名 “成道會”，實際上可以說是 十二月初八 為臘日之由來。
據傳，佛教創始人釋迦牟尼修行深山，靜坐六年，餓得骨瘦如柴，曾欲棄此苦，恰遇一牧羊女，送他乳糜，他食罷盤腿坐於菩提樹下，於十二月初八 之日悟道成佛，為了紀念而始興 “佛成道節”。
中國信徒出自虔誠，遂與“臘日”融合，方成“臘八節”，並同樣舉行隆重的儀禮活動。
把農曆十二月稱為“臘月”的原因
《祀記》上面解釋：“蠟者，索也，歲十二月，合聚萬物而索饗之也。”“臘”與“蠟”相似，祭祀祖先稱為“臘”，祭祀百神稱為“蠟”。
“臘”與“蠟”都是一種祭祀活動，而多在農曆十二月進行，人們便把十二月稱為臘月了。
臘八節臘月是年歲之終，古代農閒的人們無事可幹，便出去打獵。
一是多弄些食物，以彌補糧食的不足，二是用打來的野獸祭祖敬神，祈福求壽，避災迎祥。
臘月裏的民俗很多。
十二月初八 ，用雜糧做成“臘八粥”。
有的農民還要將 “臘八粥” 甩灑在門、籬笆、柴垛等上面，以祭祀五穀之神。
十二月二十三，俗稱“小年”，有的地區人們陳設香臘刀頭和糖點果品敬供“灶神”等。
其實，現在的人們大都不信奉 “神靈” 之類，這樣做只是沿襲古代的某些習俗，或者只是趣味罷了。
臘八粥也叫 “七寶五味粥”。
臘八粥也叫 “七寶五味粥”。
我國喝臘八粥的歷史，已有一千多年。
最早開始於宋代。
每逢臘八這一天，不論是朝廷、官府、寺院還是黎民百姓家都要做臘八粥。到了清朝，喝臘八粥的風俗更是盛行。
在宮廷，皇帝、皇后、皇子等都要向文武大臣、侍從宮女賜臘八粥，並向各個寺院發放米、果等供僧侶食用。
在民間，家家戶戶也要做臘八粥，祭祀祖先；同時，闔家團聚在一起食用，饋贈親朋好友。
中國各地臘八粥的花樣，爭奇競巧，品種繁多。
其中以北平的最為講究，攙在白米 Rice 中的物品較多，如紅棗 red dates、蓮子 lotus seeds、核桃 pecans、栗子 chestnuts、杏仁 almonds、松仁 pine nuts 、桂圓 longans、榛子 hazelnuts、葡萄 grapes、白果 ginkgo、菱角 trapa or water caltrop、青絲 green silk、玫瑰 roses、紅豆 red beans、花生 peanuts ……總計不下二十種。
人們在 臘月初七 的晚上，就開始忙碌起來，洗米、泡果、撥皮、去核、精揀然後在半夜時分開始煮，再用微火燉，一直燉到第二天的清晨，臘八粥才算熬好了。
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There are many variations of the ingredients use in this congee.
I make congee like these all the time with more than 20 ingredients! :)
There are many mixture on the market, from 5 grains to 15 grains packs and some in powder form too.
Mix and match the grains and their quantities as per your own preference and add vegetables, meat, seafood to your own taste! :)
Cheers all
Om Guru Lian Sheng Siddhi Hom
Lama Lotuschef
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