LABA

Laba is a term with multiple uses in Chinese culture and other contexts. The most prominent use refers to the Laba Festival, or Laba Jie, a traditional Chinese holiday observed on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. The festival signals the approach of the Chinese New Year and has Buddhist and agrarian roots. A common feature is the serving of Laba congee, a warm porridge made from a mix of grains, beans, nuts, and dried fruits. Regional recipes vary, but typical ingredients include rice or millet, red beans, chickpeas, or lotus seeds, and nuts such as walnuts, almonds, or peanuts, together with dried fruits like dates, raisins, and goji berries. The porridge is usually sweetened and eaten to wish for good fortune and warmth in winter.

Outside of the festival, Laba may appear as a place name or a personal name in some languages, though such uses are less well known internationally. The word itself derives from the characters for the twelfth lunar month (腊) and the number eight (八). In contemporary usage, Laba most commonly refers to the festival and its porridge, but the term may be encountered in other contexts depending on language and region.