腊八节的来历和传说
Origin Laba is celebrated on the eighth day of the last lunar month, referring to the traditional start of celebrations for the Chinese New Year. La in Chinese means the 12th lunar month and ba means eight. Legends about the origin of this festivity abound. One holds that over 3,000 years ago sacrificial rites called La were held in the twelfth lunar month when people offered up their preys to the gods of heaven and earth. The Chinese characters for prey and the twelfth month were interchangeable then, and ever since La has been used to refer to both. Since the festival was held on the eighth day of the last month, people later appended the number eight (ba in Chinese), giving us the current Laba.
Legend The eight-treasure porridge was first introduced to China in the Song Dynasty about 900 years ago. Buddhism was well accepted in the areas inhabited by the Han Chinese, who believed that Sakyamuni, the first Buddha and founder of the religion, attained enlightenment on the eighth day of the twelfth month. Sutras were chanted in the temples and rice porridge with beans, nuts and dried fruit was prepared for the Buddha. With the passing of time the custom extended, especially in rural areas where peasants would pray for a plentiful harvest in this way. There is, however, another touching story: When Sakyamuni was on his way into the high mountains in his quest for understanding and enlightenment,
he grew tired and hungry. Exhausted from days
of walking, he passed into unconsciousness by a river in India. A shepherdess found him there and fed him her lunch — porridge made with beans and rice. Sakyamuni was thus able to continue his journey. After six years of strict discipline, he finally realized his dream of full enlightenment on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. Ever since, monks have prepared rice porridge on the eve and held a ceremony the following day, during which they chant sutras and offer porridge to Buddha. Thus, the tradition of eating Laba porridge was based in religion, though with the passing of time the food itself became a popular winter dish especially in cold northern China. According to written records, large Buddhist temples would offer it to the poor to show their faith to Buddha. In the Ming Dynasty about 500 years ago, it became such a holy food that emperors would offer it to their officials during festivals. As it gained favor in the feudal upper class, it also quickly became popular throughout the country. 起源
腊八是农历十二月的第八天,是欢庆农历新年的开始。在汉语里,“腊”的意思是第十二个月,“八”的意思是八。
关于这个节日的起源有很多种说法。有一种说法是大约3000年前,一种祭祀仪式叫作“腊”,在农历十二月举行。人们向天上和地下的神献出他们的猎物。那时候,表示猎物的汉字“猎”和表示农历十二月的“腊”是可以通用的。从那时起,“腊”就用来通指这两种意思了。因为这个节日是在最后一个月的第八天举行的,后来人们就加上了个“八”字,于是就有了现在的“腊八”。 关于腊八的传说
八宝粥最开始出现在中国是在900年前的宋朝。