中国人会提前20多天就开始为春节做准备。中国农历中的第12个月被称为腊月，所以腊月的第八天便是腊月初八，也叫作腊八。这一天被称为腊八节，而今年的腊八节就在1月24日。
Three major customs on Laba are ancestor worship, eating Laba rice porridge and making Laba garlic.
腊八节的三大习俗是祭祀祖先、喝腊八粥以及做腊八蒜。
Ancestor worship: At the end of the year, working people get more free time to prepare for the sacrifice to the ancestors. The reason the 12th lunar month is called La Yue has a lot to do with the custom of sacrifice.
祭祀祖先：到了年末，劳动人民有更多的时间来准备祭祖的供品。农历的第12个月之所以被称为“腊月”与祭祀的习俗密不可分。
First, the worship of ancestors, called "腊" in Chinese, and the sacrifice for the gods, called "蜡", both frequently took place in the 12th month, which led to the traditional name of the month: la yue. Second, winter is the slack season for farmers so they have time to find things to burn in the sacrifice. The radical of "腊" represents the sacrifice of meat to one’s ancestors ("月" symbolizes meat).
首先，祭祖在中文中被称为“腊”，而供奉神灵的供品被称为“蜡”，这两者在农历的第12个月中频繁出现，于是便有了“腊月”这个传统叫法。其次，冬天对于农民而言是农闲季节，所以他们有时间准备祭祀用的供品。“腊”的部首便代表了祭祖时所供奉的肉（“月”象征着肉）。
Laba rice porridge: There are several legends about the origin of porridge eating on Laba: Some claim it is of Buddhist origin; some say the porridge, made of red beans, can exorcize evil from children. Others say the porridge is in memory of a poor couple.
腊八粥：关于腊八节喝腊八粥这一习俗的起源，有几种不同的传说。一些人认为源于佛教；一些人称红豆熬制的腊八粥可以给孩童辟邪。还有一些人认为腊八粥是为了纪念一对贫苦夫妻。
The custom of porridge eating has been well known throughout history, from the royal court to common people.
喝腊八粥的习俗在历史上相当有名，从王公贵胄到寻常百姓，无人不晓。
The most "authentic" porridge was made in northern China, especially Beiping, today’s Beijing.
而最为正宗的腊八粥当属我国北方的，尤其是北平（如今的北京）的。
The main ingredients of the Laba porridge are rice and sticky rice; people also add sugar, red dates, lotus seeds, walnuts, chestnuts, almonds, longans, hazelnuts, raisins, red beans, peanuts, water caltrops, roseleaf and other various materials to make the porridge special.
腊八粥的主要材料为米和糯米，人们也会加入糖、红枣、莲子、核桃、栗子、杏仁、龙眼、榛子、葡萄干、红豆、花生、菱角、玫瑰花瓣以及其他各种食材，令腊八粥具有独特风味。
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