HSK 5 · Article · 548 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-is-the-laba-festival

腊八节是什么节?

What is the Laba Festival?

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冬天dōngtiān的de北京běijīng,天tiān还hái没méi亮liàng,雍和宫yōnghégōng门外ménwài已经yǐjīng排pái起qǐ了le长cháng队duì。天气tiānqì格外géwài寒冷hánlěng,可是kěshì大家dàjiā一点儿yìdiǎnr也yě不bù着急zháojí,一边yìbiān说话shuōhuà一边yìbiān等děng。他们tāmen在zài等děng什么shénme呢ne?答案dá’àn是shì一yì碗wǎn热rè的de粥zhōu。原来yuánlái,这zhè一天yìtiān是shì农历nónglì腊月làyuè初八chūbā,也yě就是jiùshì腊八节làbājié。

“腊八”的de“腊là”,指zhǐ的de是shì腊月làyuè,也yě就是jiùshì农历nónglì一yì年nián中zhōng的de最后zuìhòu一个yígè月yuè;“八bā”就是jiùshì这个zhège月yuè的de第八dìbā天tiān。很hěn早zǎo以前yǐqián,人们rénmen在zài年底niándǐ要yào感谢gǎnxiè这zhè一yì年nián的de好hǎo收成shōucheng,也yě希望xīwàng下xià一yì年nián一切yíqiè平安píng’ān。后来hòulái,佛教fójiào传到dào了le中国zhōngguó,又yòu给gěi这zhè个gè节日jiérì带来dàilái了le一yí个gè故事gùshi:传说chuánshuō佛祖fózǔ在zài这zhè一天yìtiān喝hē了le一yì碗wǎn粥zhōu,然后ránhòu明白míngbai了le人生rénshēng的de道理dàoli。因此yīncǐ,很hěn多duō寺庙sìmiào会huì在zài这天zhètiān煮zhǔ粥zhōu,免费miǎnfèi送给sònggěi大家dàjiā。两百多liángbǎiduō年nián前qián,雍和宫yōnghégōng送sòng的de粥zhōu就jiù已经yǐjīng很hěn有名yǒumíng了le。如今rújīn,这个zhège传统chuántǒng依然yīrán保留bǎoliú着zhe。

那么nàme,这zhè一yì碗wǎn里到底dàodǐ有yǒu什么shénme?其实qíshí没有méiyǒu标准biāozhǔn答案dá’àn。米mǐ、花生huāshēng、红枣hóngzǎo……每měi家jiā放fàng的de材料cáiliào往往wángwǎng不bù一样yíyàng,不过búguò一般yìbān至少zhìshǎo有yǒu八bā种zhǒng。有人yǒurén开玩笑kāiwánxiào说shuō,这zhè就jiù像xiàng把bǎ家里jiālǐ能néng找到zhǎodào的de粮食liángshi都dōu放进fàngjìn了le一yí个gè锅guō里。慢慢mànmàn煮zhǔ上shàng几jǐ个gè小时xiǎoshí,它tā就jiù变得biànde又yòu甜tián又yòu香xiāng,味道wèidao十分shífēn丰富fēngfù。在zài冬天dōngtiān的de早上zǎoshang喝hē上shàng一yì碗wǎn,全身quánshēn都dōu暖和nuǎnhuo了le。

在zài中国zhōngguó北方běifāng,这zhè一天yìtiān还有háiyǒu一yí件jiàn事shì要yào做zuò:泡pào蒜suàn。把bǎ大蒜dàsuàn放进fàngjìn醋cù里,然后ránhòu放fàng在zài凉快liángkuai的de地方dìfang。过guò二十多èrshíduō天tiān,白色báisè的de蒜suàn会huì逐渐zhújiàn变成biànchéng漂亮piàoliang的de绿色lǜsè。到dào了le除夕chúxī晚上wǎnshang,全家人quánjiārén吃chī饺子jiǎozi的de时候shíhou,正好zhènghǎo拿ná出来chūlái一起yìqǐ吃chī。为什么wèishénme是shì蒜suàn呢ne?有yǒu一种yìzhǒng说法shuōfǎ是shì,“蒜suàn”和hé“算suàn”的de声音shēngyīn一样yíyàng,而ér年底niándǐ正是zhèngshì算suàn一yí算suàn这zhè一yì年nián赚zhuàn了le多少duōshao钱qián、花huā了le多少duōshao钱qián的de时候shíhou。

人们rénmen常cháng说shuō:“过guò了le腊là八bā就是jiùshì年nián。”腊八节làbājié一yí到dào,离lí春节chūnjié就jiù只有zhíyǒu三sān个gè星期xīngqī左右zuǒyòu了le。人们rénmen开始kāishǐ打扫dásǎo房子fángzi、买mǎi年货niánhuò,空气kōngqì里也yě慢慢mànmàn有yǒu了le过年guònián的de味道wèidao。所以suóyǐ,如果rúguǒ你nǐ在zài冬天dōngtiān看到kàndào很hěn多duō人rén排队páiduì等děng一yì碗wǎn粥zhōu,别bié感到gǎndào吃惊chījīng。他们tāmen等děng的de不bù只是zhǐshì粥zhōu,也yě是shì新年xīnnián。

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
亮liàngbright; shiny; to shine; to light up
排páito arrange; to line up
队duìteam; group
寒冷hánlěngcold; frigid
答案dá’ànanswer; solution
指zhǐto mean; to refer to
年底niándǐend of the year
感谢gǎnxièto thank; to be grateful; thanks; gratitude
一切yíqièeverything; all
人生rénshēnglife (a person's life)
因此yīncǐtherefore; consequently; for this reason
免费miǎnfèifree (of charge)

English (for the teacher)

Winter in Beijing: before dawn, a long queue has already formed outside the Lama Temple. It is bitterly cold, but nobody is in a hurry; people chat as they wait. What are they waiting for? A bowl of hot porridge. It turns out today is the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month: the Laba Festival.

The “la” in Laba means layue, the last month of the lunar year; “ba”, eight, is the month’s eighth day. Long ago, at the end of the year, people gave thanks for a good harvest and hoped the next year would be safe and well. Later, when Buddhism reached China, it brought a story to the festival: legend says the Buddha ate a bowl of porridge on this day and then understood the truth of life. So many temples cook porridge on this day and give it away for free. More than two hundred years ago, the Lama Temple’s porridge was already famous. The tradition is still alive today.

So what actually goes into this porridge? There’s no standard answer. Rice, peanuts, red dates… Every family’s mix tends to be different, but there are usually at least eight. Some people joke that it’s like throwing every grain you can find at home into one pot. Simmer it for a few hours and it turns sweet and fragrant, full of flavour. One bowl on a winter morning and you’re warm all over.

In northern China there’s one more job on this day: soaking garlic. Put the garlic in vinegar and leave it somewhere cool. After twenty-odd days, the white garlic slowly turns a beautiful green. On New Year’s Eve, when the whole family eats dumplings, it’s ready just in time to eat with them. Why garlic? One explanation is that “suan” (garlic) sounds the same as “suan” (to count), and the end of the year is exactly when people count up what they earned and spent.

People say: “Once Laba is past, the New Year is here.” When Laba comes, Spring Festival is only about three weeks away. People start cleaning their homes and buying New Year goods, and slowly the air fills with the feeling of the holiday. So if you see a crowd queuing for a bowl of porridge in winter, don’t be surprised. They’re not just waiting for porridge; they’re waiting for the New Year.