Laba Festival 2025 in China

The traditional Chinese Laba Festival has been celebrated for few thousand years. It was initially a harvest festival, where people paid tribute to the past season and prayed for next year's crops. The name derives from the Chinese words 'La' (twelfth month) and 'Ba' (eight), signifying the 8th days of the 12th lunar month. Another name for the holiday is the 'Day of Enlightenment.'

After Laba celebrations, people are busy preparing street markets and temple fairs for the Chinese New Year festivities. Therefore, this festival is also considered as an open ceremony of the active preparation for the coming new year. There is an old saying, 'the Spring Festival is around the corner after the Laba Festival.'

Festival Customs & Traditions

The festival of Laba is unique due to a mixture of Buddhism, Confucianism, and shamanism. On this day, people offer sacrifices to their ancestors, heaven, and earth and express their honor to Buddha, who ate only rice for the six years of their religious exploration. Traditionally, Chinese people prepare Laba porridge, consisting of several types of rice, other cereals, beans, nuts, and dried fruit. There is a great variety of recipes for this dish. The porridge in the Yonghegong Lama Temple consists of more than 30 ingredients, including lotus seeds, walnuts, and longan. The porridge is prepared in the morning and is also offered to the ancestors, Buddha, the Earth, and the skies. Then, the entire family gathers together and enjoys porridge.

There is a heartwarming tradition to share Laba porridge with the poor as a sign of kindness. In every Buddhist temple in China, Laba porridge is prepared on this day and distributed to all comers. If you find yourself in China during the Laba Festival, go to a temple and try it. This rite of symbolism is similar to a blessing. Additionally, it’s customary to soak garlic in vinegar starting 20 days before the Chinese New Year until it turns green. This garlic is then enjoyed with traditional dumplings during the New Year celebrations.

Where to Celebrate Laba Festival in Beijing

In Bejing, the festivities are usually organized in the Lama temple (The Yonghe Lamasery), the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple in the capital of China, or in the Fayuan Temple, the oldest temple in Bejing. The Yonghegong Lama Temple has always gathered large crowds during the Laba Festival, especially after the tradition was briefly paused in 2023. On the day of the festival, the temple usually opens for visitors at 9 am, but people start lining up to enjoy porridge as early as 4 am.