| Laba Festival | |
|---|---|
 A bowl of Laba congee. | |
| Official name | Làbā Jié (臘八節, 腊八节) |
| Observed by | Chinese |
| Significance | Celebration of the end of the year, celebration of the enlightenment of the Buddha |
| Observances | Consumption of Laba congee, etc. |
| Date | 8th day of the 12th lunar month |
| 2023 date | 18 January |
| 2024 date | 18 January |
| 2025 date | 7 January |
| Related to | Bodhi 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" | ||||||||||||||||
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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.