The Laba Festival

济南五中 龙菲

腊八节，俗称“腊八”。古人有祭祀祖先和神灵、祈求丰收吉祥的传统。如今，一些地区有喝腊八粥、吃腊八蒜的习俗。俗话说：“过了腊八就是年。”让我们一起来了解下这个节日吧！

The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is commonly known as the Laba Festival.The festival has been regarded as a1)prelude [ˈpreljuːd] n.前奏；序幕preludeto the Lunar New Year.From the day on,people begin to sweep houses,make offerinɡs to the Kitchen God,buy pictures for the New Year,attend street fairs and write Spring Festival couplets.The atmosphere of the New Year is getting stronger and stronger.Now,let’s learn about the customs of the Laba Festival.

The Laba Festival,also simply called “Laba”.The festival has this name because the twelfth month is also called “la” month in Chinese while the number eiɡht is pronounced “ba”.Since it’s the last festival before the Lunar New Year,the festival2)imply [ɪmˈplaɪ] v.意味着impliessaying goodbye to the old and embracing the new.It is often regarded as a warm-up celebration for the upcoming Spring Festival.As an old sayinɡ ɡoes,“After Laba,it’s the (Chinese) New Year.”

One of the festival’s traditions is to offer sacrifices to the ancestors.In the3)agrarian [əˈɡreəriən] adj.土地的；耕地的agrariansocieties of ancient times,this worship was a prayer for good luck and a4)bountiful [ˈbaʊntɪfl ] adj.丰富的bountifulharvest.It was also an important ritual for emperors in those times,who would hold grand sacrificial fetes in the winter to show their appreciation to nature and their ancestors.Those ancient activities could be interpreted as a reflection of “Xiao”(filial piety),“Ren” (5)benevolence [bəˈnevələns] n.慈善；仁慈benevolenceand love) and “Yi” (6)righteousness ['raɪtʃəsnəs] n.正义righteousness)in Confucian values.Nowadays,the rituals tend to be less formal.People offer sacrifices now more to memorialize family members who have passed away.

The tradition to have Laba congee on this day dates back more than a thousand years and is still a major part of Laba in many places.

In northern China,it’s also popular to make Laba garlic.People usually put peeled garlic cloves into a container with vinegar and then seal it up.During the pickling process,the garlic will turn green.It is a typical side dish to have with dumplings during the Spring Festival.In northwest China,some residents in Shaanxi Province eat Laba noodles for the festival.In places like Anhui in east China,people will eat Laba tofu.These local customs7)vary [ˈveəri] v.（根据情况而）变化；改变varybased on location and climate and are intended to help people overcome the winter cold and prevent illness.

农历十二月初八，俗称“腊八节”。腊八节一直被人们视为农历新年的前奏。从这天起，人们开始打扫房屋、祭灶、买年画、赶集、写春联，新年的气氛越来越浓厚。现在，我们一起来了解一下腊八节的相关习俗。

腊八节俗称“腊八”，这是因为农历十二月被称为“腊月”，而数字八的发音为“ba”。由于它是农历新年前的最后一个节日，所以意味着辞旧迎新已经开始。腊八节是即将到来的春节的热身节庆。俗话说：“过了腊八就是年。”

腊八节的传统之一是祭祀祖先。在古代的农耕社会，这种祭拜活动被用来祈求来年的丰收和好运。对于当时的皇帝来说，这也是一种重要的仪式，他们会在冬季举行盛大的祭祀活动，以表达对自然和祖先的感激。这些古老的活动体现了儒家价值观中的“孝”“仁”和“义”。如今，这些仪式往往不那么正式了。现在，人们祭祀更多的是为了纪念已故的亲人。

在这一天吃腊八粥的传统可以追溯到一千多年前，至今在许多地方，这仍是腊八节一项的重要活动。

在中国北方，做腊八蒜也很受欢迎。人们通常将去皮的蒜瓣放入装有醋的容器中，然后将其密封。在腌制过程中，大蒜会变绿。这是春节期间饺子的典型配菜。在中国西北部，陕西人在节日期间吃腊八面。在中国东部的安徽等地，人们会吃腊八豆腐。这些习俗因各地的地理和气候而异，但目的都是帮助人们克服冬季寒冷、预防疾病。

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腊日

[唐]杜甫

腊日常年暖尚遥，今年腊日冻全消。

侵凌雪色还萱草，漏泄春光有柳条。

纵酒欲谋良夜醉，还家初散紫宸朝。

口脂面药随恩泽，翠管银婴下九霄。

The La Festival

Stephen Owen

On the La Festival in ordinary years warm weather is still far away,

this year on the La Festival the ice has entirely melted.

Subduing the color of snow the yellow daylily returns,

in the light of spring leaking through there are fronds of willows.

To have ale as I please I will plan a good night to get drunk,

I return home,having just concluded dawn court at Zichen Palace.

A chap-balm for lips and face cream came with imperial grace,

in an azure tube and silver ewer descendinɡ from the nine-tiered heavens.