苏说文化之腊八节（英文版）

The Laba Festival

腊八节

腊八节，在每年中国农历十二月初八。

The Laba Festival falls on the eighth day of the 12th Chinese lunar month.

从炎帝黄帝开始，中国人就在一岁之末，用捕获猎物祭祀祖先神明，称为“猎祭”。而在古汉语中“猎”可通假为“腊”,因而最后一个月也被称为腊月。《史记》中记载：“十二月猎日也。秦文王始效中国，为之猎禽兽，以岁终祭先祖。”这就是“腊”与“猎”相通佐证。

Starting from the times of Emperor Yan and Huang, Chinese would use hunted game as sacrifices, known as “Hunting Sacrifices” to pay tribute to their ancestors and gods at the end of a year. In ancient Chinese, the word “hunt(猎)” can be used as another word “La(腊)”, thus, the last month of a year being called “La Yue”. The proof can be seen in Historical Records, “The lunar December is the right time for hunting. The Emperor Qin began to adopt the hunting tradition of central China to offer sacrifice game to ancestors at the end of the year.”

据说，“腊八粥”起源于古印度。古印度迦毗罗卫国太子释迦牟尼，有感于人世疾苦，和对婆罗门教神权统治不满，舍弃王族生活，出家修道。释迦牟尼成苦苦修行六年，形销骨立，但发现苦行不是解脱之道，决定放弃。此时，一牧羊女呈献乳糜，食后体力恢复，遂端坐菩提树下冥思，于十二月初八顿悟得道。为纪念佛祖得道，佛教徒于此日举行法会，以米果煮粥供佛。

It is said that Laba Congee originated from India. Sakyamuni, prince of ancient Kapilavastu, could not bear people's sufferings and the theocracy ruled by Brahman. So, he abandoned his lofty position and went out to seek a way to enlighten himself. Having practiced asceticism for six years, Sakyamuni became as thin as a rake and found that asceticism was not the right way of enlightening, so he decided to give up. At this time, he met a shepherd girl who presented him a bowl of milk porridge. After drinking it, he recovered his strength, sat under the Bodhi Tree meditating, and became enlightened on Chinese lunar December 8. To commemorate this event, Buddhists held a Dharma assembly on this day to cook porridge with rice and fruit in honor of Sakyamuni.

佛教在汉代传入中国，隋唐时达到鼎盛。宋代时，一些寺院在腊月初八将化缘得来的杂粮、干果、果干等煮粥救济穷人，称为“佛粥”或“腊八粥”。元朝时，皇帝与腊月初八煮粥赐百官。清朝时，这一习俗已经在民间盛行。

Buddhism was introduced into China in the Han Dynasty and became prosperous in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. In the Song Dynasty, some Buddhists, adopting the Indian ceremony, began to cook congee with collected grains, nuts and dried fruits, called “Buddha Congee” or “Laba Congee”, for the poor on the Chinese lunar December 8. In the Yuan Dynasty, emperors would order to cook congee and award it to officials. Then the practice had become popular in the public by the Qing Dynasty.

腊八粥用料多样，主要以谷类、豆类、干果类、豆腐及肉类为主，如大米、燕麦、玉米、大豆、绿豆、芸豆、豇豆、栗子、杏仁、花生、豆腐、猪肉、牛肉等。有时还会添加瓜子、莲子、松子、糖和其他果脯，风味更佳。

The ingredients of Laba Congee vary a lot. Normally, it is made of grains, beans, nuts, tofu, meat and so on, like rice, oats, corns, soy beans, mung beans, kidney beans, cowpeas, chestnuts, almonds, peanuts, tofu, pork, beef etc. In some areas, melon seeds, lotus seeds, pine nuts, sugar, and other preserved fruits are added to give it more flavors.

腊八过后，人们就开始杀年猪，办年货，腌腊肉，准备迎接欢乐吉祥的中国年。

After Laba, people will kill the Spring Festival pigs, do New Year shopping, salt meat, preparing for celebrations of a happy and auspicious Chinese New Year.