Laba: A delicious culinary festival held across China臘八節(jié)：粥香暖心，年味漸濃

涂麗平

臘八節(jié)是中國(guó)的傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日。關(guān)于臘八節(jié)，你知道的有多少呢？

主題語(yǔ)境：傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日篇幅：349詞建議用時(shí)：7分鐘

1 The Laba Festival， is celebrated on the 8th day of the 12th lunar month. It istraditionally regarded as the prelude to the Spring Festival， kicking off the preparations forthe festivities.

2 The custom first originated in the SongDynasty and became popular in the QingDynasty. Now it has been over one thousandyears that Chinese people eat Laba Porridge atthe Laba Festival. As is known to all， sinceancient times Chinese people have attachedgreat importance to growing crops， so when theland bore a good harvest after years of hard work， the farmers would show great apprecia?tion by sacrificing to the ancestors， heaven and earth. Boiling Laba Porridge was one waypeople celebrate their harvest.

3 The ingredients of Laba Porridge are various items that are full of nutrition. It ismade of diversified rice， beans， dried nuts， bean curd and meat. Melon seeds， lotus seeds，pine nuts， sugar and other preserved fruits are added to give more flavor. After 10 centuriesof development， there are now over one hundred different cooking methods. After hours ofboiling， the porridge is offered as a sacrifice to the ancestors and is presented to friends before noon. Family members eat Laba Porridge together and leave some， symbolizing agood harvest next year. Some kind people hand out the porridge to the poor to show theirpity. And in some regions， people believe that pasting porridge on the flowers and fruittrees indicates the blossom of flowers and good fruition. Laba Porridge is now regarded as avery nutritious food in winter. It is welcomed by all people of different ages.

4 In northern China， it is a tradition to soak garlic in vinegar for the Laba Festival tomake a dish known as Laba Garlic. The garlic turns emerald green after more than 20 days，just in time for the Spring Festival. The Laba Garlic is then eaten with dumplings on theEve of the Spring Festival. In the central parts of Shaanxi Province， the local tradition ofthe Laba Festival is to have noodles in the morning.

Reading Check

1. The Laba Festival is significant because it ________.

A. celebrates the end of the winter season

B. marks the beginning of preparations for the Spring Festival

C. commemorates the invention of Laba Porridge

D. honors a historical battle victory

2. What is one of the reasons Laba Porridge is made during the Laba Festival？

A. To follow a trend starting in modern times.

B. To commemorate a military victory in ancient China.

C. To show appreciation for the year＇s harvest.

D. To make up for a poor harvest the previous year.

3. What does the underlined word“diversified”in paragraph 3 probably mean？

A. Various. B. Ripe. C. Ideal. D. Natural.

4. What is the tradition involving garlic during the Laba Festival in northern China？

A. Garlic is hung for decoration to ward off evil spirits.

B. Garlic is planted as a symbol of good luck.

C. Garlic is eaten raw for good health throughout the coming year.

D. Garlic is placed in vinegar to make a dish for the Spring Festival Eve.

Language Study

Ⅰ. 日積月累

celebrate v. 慶祝

prelude n. 前奏；序幕

originate v. 起源

dynasty n. 朝代

sacrifice v. 獻(xiàn)祭

ancestor n. 祖先

nutrition n. 營(yíng)養(yǎng)

ingredient n. 成分；原料

indicate v. 表明；象征

soak v. 浸泡

vinegar n. 醋

lunar month 農(nóng)歷月

Laba Porridge 臘八粥

attach great importance to 非常重視……

hand out the porridge to the poor 把粥分發(fā)給窮人

Ⅱ. 語(yǔ)法填空

The Laba Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday 1.?________ the 8th day of the 12thlunar month， serving 2.?________ the start of the Spring Festival celebrations. Originatingin the Song Dynasty and 3.?________ （gain） popularity in the Qing Dynasty， it has been atradition 4.?________ over a thousand years to eat Laba Porridge on this day. LabaPorridge， a symbol of the harvest and respect for the ancestors， 5.?________ （make） byboiling a mix of rice， beans， nuts， bean curd， meat and added flavorings like melon andlotus seeds， pine nuts and sugar， evolving over 6.?________ （century） with now over ahundred versions. After cooking， the porridge is offered 7.?________ ancestors and sharedwith friends and family as a symbol for a prosperous future harvest and as a charitable giftto 8.?________ poor. It also carries a 9.?________ （significant） of blooming and fruitingwhen applied to plants. This hearty dish has become a winter staple， loved by all ages for10.?________ （it） high nutritional value.