Traditional festivals are an important part of the long history and splendid culture of the Chinese nation. They evolved over millennia and have become a record of the colorful life on this land. This year we are starting a new column to introduce the most important traditional Chinese festivals in each month as a way to inform our readers of Chinese culture.
THE Laba Festival is a major festival in La month (the 12th month on the Chinese lunar calendar), falling on its eighth day. On the Gregorian calendar this year, it falls on January 13. Laba is also regarded as a prelude to the Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, as there are only three weeks left before its coming. This festival is more than 1,000 years old. The ancient Chinese made sacrifices to their ancestors and the deities on this day to wish for bountiful harvests and good luck over the next year. In many parts of China, people cook Laba porridge as a way of celebration.
Origin of the Laba Festival
Everyone knows this festival in China, but how did it come into being? In ancient times, the Chinese called the act of making sacrifices to their ancestors, la, and the day of sacrifice giving to wish for safety, harvest, and health “the day of la.” As the Laba festival was on the 12th lunar month, this month was consequently called “month of la.”
The day of la has different names in different dynasties. It was fixed on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month during the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589). Some say it was the day when Sakyamuni became Buddha, and that’s why it is a grand Buddhist festival.
Laba Festival Legends
There are also many legends about the origins of this festival, among which the following three are the most widespread.
Esta historia es de la edición January 2019 de China Today (English).
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición January 2019 de China Today (English).
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
A City with Vision for the Future
LOCATED on the edge of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, at one of the farthest points in China from the sea, stands a city that began to embrace its great economic takeoff just 10 years ago.
Setting out on the Great Rejuvenation
THE centenary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was marked by a grand gathering held on July 1 at Beijing’s Tian’anmen Square.
A Similar History Has United Us
— Interview with Carlos Miguel Pereira, Ambassador of Cuba to China
The CPC's 100 Years of “Routine Miracles”
AT a grand ceremony commemorating the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at Beijing’s Tian’anmen Square on July 1, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, solemnly declared the completion of building China into a moderately prosperous society in all respects, the country’s first centenary goal.
An Open Xinjiang with Multi-Ethnic Beliefs
SINCE ancient times, Xinjiang has been a region where ethnic groups live together, religious beliefs are diversified, and many cultures coexist. Primitive religion and Shamanism were initially prevalent in the region.
Xinjiang in My Eyes
ON May 24, 2021, I boarded a flight to Urumqi from Beijing with a group of Chinese and foreign journalists to learn more about Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a vast territory that is home to many ethnic groups and diverse cultures. The visit has left me with lasting memories and a deeper understanding of the people and the region as a whole.
Stability and Development Are the Strongest Evidences of Human Rights
OVER the past months hostile elements in certain Western countries have trumped-up charges against China concerning human rights in Xinjiang, spreading lies about “forced labor,” “genocide,” and “religious oppression” in the region.
BRI Nexus Promoting Multilateralism in a Post-Pandemic World
BORN of centuries-long interactions between China and other civilizations along the ancient Silk Road, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) appears as the quintessential manifestation of multilateralism on the world stage since the Second World War which was, sad to say, one of quite a different kind.
Tourism Boosts Rural Revitalization in Ili
THEY say you never know how big China is until you come to Xinjiang, and never know how beautiful Xinjiang is until you come to Ili.
Xinjiang's Cotton Industry Gets Smart
LOCATED in the northwest of China, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region boasts long hours of sunshine and ample water for irrigation — making the region geographically ideal for growing cotton. Cotton grown in Xinjiang, which has good coloration and long fiber, is favored in both domestic and foreign markets.