Laba Festival

English

Alternative forms

• Laba, Laba festival

Etymology

A partial calque of the Mandarin form of Chinese 臘八節 / 腊八节 (Làbājié), named for its occurrence on the 8th day (八) of the 12th month of the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar, sometimes known by the name Là (臘月) from an ancient end-of-year sacrifice.

Proper noun

the Laba Festival

1. A moveable Chinese festival day occurring between December 30th and January 28th on the Gregorian calendar, historically variously associated with propitiatory end-of-year sacrifices, ancestral veneration, and the Enlightenment of the Buddha, now chiefly observed by the consumption of Laba porridge.
   • 2019 April 5, Novella Lui, “Is it vegan? 7 Chinese dishes that are completely plant-based”, in South China Morning Post‎^[1], →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 18 May 2022, Style / Leisure‎^[2]:

     The Laba congee is generally eaten on the eighth day of the 12th month in the lunar calendar as part of the Laba Festival. Like Buddha’s delight, it has become a food item that can be eaten at any time of the year.

Related terms

• Laba congee
• Laba porridge

Translations

Translations

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 臘八節 / 腊八节 (zh) (Làbājié), 臘八 / 腊八 (zh) (Làbā)

• Polish: festiwal Laba m

See also

• Bodhi Day, Rohatsu, Vesak (other celebrations of the Buddha's enlightenment)