Thousands long for a taste of 'lucky' Laba porridge

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-01-06 15:47

Residents eat free Laba porridge provided by Yonghegong Lama Temple in Beijing, January 3, 2009. Laba, often regarded as the start of celebrations for the Chinese lunar New Year, falls on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month. Eating porridge on Laba is believed to bring good fortune in the New Year. [chinadaily.com.cn by Wu Chuan Jing]

"This year, we have prepared 28 kinds of ingredients for the porridge, including rice, red beans, dried lotus seeds, and dates. The quantity is more than last year, but I still cannot guarantee every one will manage to get a taste," Li said.

Every year, thousands of people queue up outside the temple for the porridge, he said. Last year, the temple distributed more than 4,000 small bowls of the delicacy.

Li said a large majority of people who queue up are like Qin, hoping to be blessed with fortune in the New Year.

"The others just taste it for fun, to remember their childhood days," he said.

As a former royal temple, Yonghegong Lama Temple started serving the Laba porridge ever since the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), but mainly to the nobles.

"We had stopped serving the porridge for several years due to the tight budget. But we started again in 1998, thanks to the donations made by Buddhists and other kind people," Li said.

This year, more than 50 people, including sports stars like gymnast Li Ning and table tennis player Deng Yaping, donated money and food material.

Officials at the Guanghua Temple, situated in Houhai, said they would also offer Laba porridge on Saturday. Last year, some 3,000 people polished off the porridge within three hours, an official said.

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