Laba Festival

Laba Festival
A bowl of Laba congee.
Official nameLàbā Jié (臘八節, 腊八节)
Observed byChinese
SignificanceCelebration of the end of the year, celebration of the enlightenment of the Buddha
ObservancesConsumption of Laba congee, etc.
Date8th day of the 12th lunar month
2023 date18 January
2024 date18 January
2025 date7 January
Related toBodhi Day
Rohatsu (in Japan)
Other related festivals
Vesak (in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos)
Laba Festival
Traditional Chinese臘八
Simplified Chinese腊八
Literal meaning"Eighth of La"
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLàbā
IPA[lâ.pá]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationLaahp-baat
JyutpingLaap6-baat3
IPA[lap̚˨ pat̚˧]

Laba Festival (Chinese: 臘八節) is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the eighth day of the month of La (or Layue 臘月), the twelfth month of the Chinese calendar. It is the beginning of the Chinese New Year period. It is customary on this day to eat Laba congee.

Laba Festival was not on a fixed day until the Southern and Northern dynasties, when it was influenced by Buddhism and was fixed on the eighth day of twelfth month, which was also the enlightenment day of the Buddha. Therefore, many customs of the Laba Festival are related to Buddhism. It corresponds directly to the Japanese Rohatsu and the South Asian Bodhi Day.