Laba congee is a ceremonial congee

Congee

Congee is a type of rice porridge popular in many Asian countries. It can be eaten alone or served with a side dish. Names for congee are as varied as the style of its preparation...

 dish eaten on the eighth day of the twelfth month in the Chinese calendar

Chinese calendar

The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, incorporating elements of a lunar calendar with those of a solar calendar. It is not exclusive to China, but followed by many other Asian cultures as well...

. It originated in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

.

The day on which it is traditionally eaten is commonly known as the Laba Rice Porridge Festival

Laba Festival

The Laba Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the eighth day of the twelfth month of the lunar Chinese calendar...

 (腊八节) or Magic Festival (Buddism). As a folklore, it is used to celebrate the harvest. The earliest rice porridge was cooked by red beans and it now develops into many different kinds. It was mainly made up of many kinds of rice, beans, dried fruit, tofu, potato, meat and vegetables.

History

1. In Qing Dynasty
   Qing Dynasty
   The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
   
   , it is celebrated as "Spring Festival"
2. In Han Dynasty
   Han Dynasty
   The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
   
   , on that day, people don't eat Laba porridge. It is used to worship the Gods.
3. In Northern and southern Dynasties, the time has been fixed. It is on the Eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.
4. In Song Dynasty
   Song Dynasty
   The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
   
   ,no matter government
   Government
   Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
   
   , temple
   Temple
   A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
   
    and common people will eat Laba porridge
5. It is more popular in Qing Dynasty
   Qing Dynasty
   The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
   
   . In court, the King, Queen, princes and other people will give porridge to ministers, maids and some other people. Every people will eat porridge.

Legends

There are several legends regarding the importance of the porridge.

1. It is used to commemorate Yue Fei
   Yue Fei
   Yue Fei , style name Pengju, was a military general of the Southern Song Dynasty. His ancestral home was in Xiaoti, Yonghe Village, Tangyin, Xiangzhou, Henan...
   
   . (岳飞)
2. It's a story about Zhu Yuanzhang (朱元璋) who once ate porridge to live through hard times. When he became the emperor, he asked people to eat the porridge.
3. Buddha Sakyamuni was so tired that he leaned against a tree. Later,he was found by a shepherdess,who gave him a bowl of porridge and made him live through. At last, he was enlightened. Therefore,Laba Congee was also called as “Buddha Congee” in order to memorize the Buddha's enlightenment.