腊月风俗：扫房祭灶备年忙
Layue is the twelfth month of the traditional Chinese calendar. The Chinese character “La” meant “cured (腌制) meat” at first. Layue is known as the month with the richest traditional customs of the twelve months of the year.
The eighth day of Layue marks the Laba Festival. The custom on this day is to enjoy Laba porridge, which is also known as “Buddha Porridge”. It includes grains, peanuts, chestnuts, red dates, lotus seeds, and other things. They make it the main food of the Laba Festival. In the northern part of China, there is a saying, “Children, don’t be too eager, right after Laba, the new year is on its way.” ____ ▲ ____
In some southern areas of China, there is a custom of having glutinous rice (糯米) during the cold winter months. Some areas also have traditions of making New Year rice cakes and sticky rice cakes, which are made of steamed and mashed glutinous rice. Believed to have higher sugar than regular rice, glutinous rice is thought to bring warmth to the body. It helps to dispel the cold.
The Kitchen God Festival is another custom celebrated across China. It falls on the 23rd day (in southern China) or the 24th day (in northern China) in Layue. On this day, people would hang images of the Kitchen God and his wife around the kitchen stove as well as couplets (对联). Today, this tradition is still kept in many areas of the countryside.
Layue is regarded as a preparatory stage for the upcoming Spring Festival. Usually, the Spring Festival is considered the most joyful celebration of the year. The joy, busy activities and hope of Layue are thought to be as meaningful as the main event.
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