腊八节的习俗

腊八节，在民间这一天有着许多的习俗。

祭祀

关于腊祭，古书多有记载:“十二月八日为腊日。村人并击细鼓，戴胡头，及作金刚力土以逐疫”。先秦的腊祭日在冬至后第三个戌日，南北朝以后逐渐固定在腊月初八。到了唐宋，此节又被蒙上神佛色彩。这项活动来源于古代的傩(古代驱鬼避疫的仪式)。史前时代的医疗方法之一即驱鬼治疾。作为巫术活动的腊月击鼓驱疫之俗，今在湖南新化等地区仍有留存。到了明清，敬神供佛更是取代祭祀祖灵、欢庆丰收和驱疫禳灾，而成为腊八节的主旋律。其节俗主要是熬煮、赠送、品尝腊八粥，并举行庆丰家实。同时许多人家自此拉开春节的序慕，忙于杀年猪、打豆腐、胶制风鱼腊肉，采购年货，“年”的气氛逐渐浓厚。

腊八粥

腊八这一天有吃腊八粥的习俗，腊八粥也叫“七宝五味粥”。据说腊八粥传自印度。佛教的创始者释迦牟尼本是古印度北部迦毗罗卫国(今尼泊尔境内)净饭王的儿子，他见众生受生老病死等痛苦折磨，又不满当时婆罗门的神权统治，舍弃王位，出家修道。初无收获，后经六年苦行，于腊月八日，在菩提树下悟道成佛。在这六年苦行中，每日仅食一麻一米。后人不忘他所受的苦难，于每年腊月初八吃粥以做纪念，从此佛门定此日为“佛成道日”，诵经纪念，相沿成节。我国喝腊八粥的历史，已有一千多年。最早开始于宋代。每逢腊八这一天，不论是朝廷、官府、寺院还是黎民百姓家都要做腊八粥。到了清朝，喝腊八粥的风俗更是盛行。在宫廷，皇帝、皇后、皇子等都要向文武大臣、侍从宫女赐腊八粥，并向各个寺院发放米、果等供僧侣食用。在民间，家家户户也要做腊八粥，祭祀祖先;同时，合家团聚在一起食用，馈赠亲朋好友。中国各地腊八粥的花样，争奇竞巧，品种繁多。其中以北京的最为讲究，搀在白米中的物品较多，如红枣、莲子、核桃、栗子、杏仁、松仁、桂圆、榛子、葡萄、白果、菱角、青丝、玫瑰、红豆、花生……总计不下二十种。人们在腊月初七的晚上，就开始忙碌起来，洗米、泡果、拨皮、去核、精拣然后在半夜时分开始煮，再用微火炖，一直炖到第二天的清晨，腊八粥才算熬好了。

更为讲究的人家，还要先将果子雕刻成人形、动物、花样，再放在锅中煮。比较有特色的就是在腊八粥中放上果狮。果狮是用几种果子做成的狮形物，用剔去枣核烤干的脆枣作为狮身，半个核桃仁作为狮头，桃仁作为狮脚，甜杏仁用来作狮子尾巴。然后用糖粘在一起，放在粥碗里，活象一头小狮子。如果碗较大，可以摆上双狮或是四头小狮子。更讲究的，就是用枣泥、豆沙、山药、山楂糕等具备各种颜色的食物，捏成八仙人、老寿星、罗汉像。这种装饰的腊八粥，只有在以前的大寺庙的供桌上才可以见到。

腊八粥熬好之后，要先敬神祭祖。之后要赠送亲友，一定要在中午之前送出去。最后才是全家人食用。吃剩的腊八粥，保存着吃了几天还有剩下来的，却是好兆头，取其“年年有余”的意义。如果把粥送给穷苦的人吃，那更是为自己积德。

腊八粥在民间还有巫术的作用。假如院子里种着花卉和果树，也要在枝干上涂抹一些腊八粥，相信来年多结果实。

The Laba Festival has many customs among the folks.

sacrifice

There are many records in ancient books about the sacrificial offerings: "December 8 is the La day. The villagers beat fine drums, wear beards, and make diamonds to fight the epidemic." The pre-Qin festival was held on the third Xu day after the winter solstice, and it was gradually fixed on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month after the Southern and Northern Dynasties. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, this festival was once again cast in the color of gods and Buddhas. This activity originated from the ancient Nuo (ancient ritual of exorcising ghosts and avoiding epidemics). One of the medical methods in prehistoric times was to exorcise ghosts and cure diseases. As a witchcraft activity, the custom of drumming and expelling epidemics in the twelfth lunar month still survives in areas such as Xinhua, Hunan. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, worshiping gods and offering Buddhas became the main theme of Laba Festival instead of worshiping ancestor spirits, celebrating good harvests, and warding off epidemics. Its festivals are mainly boiled, presented, tasted Laba porridge, and held Qingfeng Jiashi. At the same time, many people have started the Spring Festival prelude since then. They are busy killing pigs, making tofu, making fish and bacon in glue, and purchasing New Year's goods. The atmosphere of "Nian" has gradually become stronger.

Laba Porridge

On Laba day, there is the custom of eating Laba porridge, which is also called "Seven Treasures and Five Flavor Porridge". Laba porridge is said to have originated from India. The founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni, was originally the son of the king of Jingfan in the Kapilavastu kingdom in northern India (in present-day Nepal). There was no harvest at the beginning, and after six years of asceticism, on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, he realized the Dao and became a Buddha under the Bodhi tree. During these six years of asceticism, he only ate one hemp and one meter a day. Descendants will not forget his sufferings, and eat porridge every year on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month as a commemoration. Since then, Buddhism has designated this day as the "Buddha Enlightenment Day". The history of drinking Laba porridge in my country has been more than a thousand years. It first started in the Song Dynasty. Every Laba day, whether it is the court, the government, the monastery or the common people's homes, they all make Laba porridge. In the Qing Dynasty, the custom of drinking Laba porridge was even more prevalent. In the court, emperors, queens, princes, etc. all give Laba porridge to ministers of civil and military affairs and servants and maids, and distribute rice, fruit, etc. to various monasteries for monks to eat. In the folk, every family also makes Laba porridge to worship ancestors; at the same time, family reunion eats together and presents as gifts to relatives and friends. There are many varieties of Laba porridge all over China. Among them, Beijing is the most particular, and there are many items mixed in white rice, such as red dates, lotus seeds, walnuts, chestnuts, almonds, pine nuts, longan, hazelnuts, grapes, ginkgo, water chestnut, green silk, roses, red beans, peanuts... The total is not less than Twenty kinds. On the night of the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, people start to get busy, washing the rice, soaking the fruit, peeling, removing the core, and sorting, and then start cooking in the middle of the night. It's done.

People who are more particular have to carve the fruits into human shapes, animals, and patterns, and then cook them in a pot. The more distinctive feature is to put fruit lions in Laba porridge. The fruit lion is a lion-shaped object made of several kinds of fruits. The crispy jujube with the jujube core removed is used as the lion's body, half a walnut kernel is used as the lion's head, the peach kernel is used as the lion's foot, and the sweet almond is used as the lion's tail. Then stick it together with sugar and put it in a porridge bowl like a little lion. If the bowl is larger, you can place two lions or four little lions. What is more important is to use jujube puree, bean paste, yam, hawthorn cake and other foods with various colors to shape the eight immortals, old birthday stars, and Luohan statues. This kind of decorated Laba porridge can only be seen on the offering tables of the former large temples.

After the Laba porridge is cooked, it is necessary to worship the gods and ancestors first. After that, if you want to give it to relatives and friends, it must be sent out before noon. Finally, the whole family eats it. The leftover Laba porridge is stored for a few days and there are still leftovers, but it is a good sign, whichever is the meaning of "more than enough every year". If you give porridge to the poor to eat, you will accumulate virtue for yourself.

Laba porridge also has the function of witchcraft in the folk. If flowers and fruit trees are planted in the yard, smear some Laba porridge on the branches, and I believe that there will be more fruits in the coming year.