A Season of Festivities in Spring
 The Spring Festival is China's traditional lunar New Year.
The most important Chinese festival is usually around the end of winter and the
onset of next spring. Since the date for this annual celebration is determined
by the lunar calendar instead of the Gregorian calendar, the timing of the
holiday varies from late January to early February.
The Spring Festival, in its most narrow sense only refers to New Year's Day
itself. But, in fact, the festivities get under way from the 8th day of the last
lunar month of the old year to the 15th day of the first lunar month of the new
year.
 Laba
Festival & Laba porridge
Laba is celebrated on the eighth day of the last lunar month (accurately on
January 17 of the 2005 Gregorian calendar), referring to the traditional start
of preparation for the Spring Festival. 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.
Since the festival was held on the eighth day of the month, people later
appended the number eight (ba in Chinese), giving us the current laba.
On this day, people will have the Laba porridge. The story goes back to about
900 years ago. Sakyamuni, the first Buddha and founder of the religion, was
believed to have attained enlightenment on the eighth day of the twelfth month.
On this day sutras were chanted in the temples and rice porridge with beans, nuts and dried fruit was
prepared for the Buddha. The tradition of eating Laba porridge, though based on
religion, became a popular winter dish with the passing of time.
 Sacrifice to Kitchen God
The 23rd day of the 12th lunar month is called Preliminary Eve, or xiaonian
(accurately on February 1 of the 2005 Gregorian calendar). It is the day when
people offer sacrifices to the Kitchen God. Now however, most families make
delicious food to enjoy themselves.
The Kitchen God is said to go to the Heaven to report the good and evils of
the family on this day for the Jade
Emperor (the Supreme Deity of Taoism) to give his rewards and punishments.
Giving the Kitchen God a send-off, people offer sweets, pure water and soybeans,
and even apply sugar on the mouth of the God's Idol so that he won't speak ill
of the family.
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