Which pre-New Year festival is associated with eating Laba porridge?

The pre-New Year festival associated with eating Laba porridge is the Laba Festival.

The Laba Festival, or Làbā Jié, falls on the eighth day of La, the twelfth and final month of the traditional Chinese calendar. Its name combines la, referring to the twelfth month, and ba, meaning eight. Because it occurs before Chinese New Year, it is often regarded as the beginning or prelude of the Spring Festival season.

Laba porridge, also called Laba congee or “eight-treasure congee,” is made from combinations of rice, grains, beans, nuts, lotus seeds, and dried fruit. Ingredients vary by region, and some versions include savory foods. The number eight is culturally auspicious and echoes the festival’s name.

The festival has older ancestral and agricultural roots, but Buddhist traditions also connected its eighth-day observance with Gautama Buddha’s enlightenment. Laba garlic, preserved in vinegar, is another northern Chinese seasonal food. The Double Ninth, Ghost, and Qixi festivals are separate occasions with different dates and customs.