腊八节吃什么What to eat on the Laba Festival

农历十二月初八是中国的传统节日——腊八节，腊代表中国农历的十二月，而八是eight的发音，因此，这个节日被翻译成腊八。

The Laba Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the eighth day of the twelfth month of the lunar Chinese calendar. "La" is the name given to the 12th lunar month and 8 is pronounced as "ba" in Chinese, which translated is "Laba."

腊八节喝腊八粥是中国传统习俗，腊八粥不仅好喝，对身体也十分有益。The laba porridge is not only a yummy traditional rite in China to mark the laba festival but also a delicacy good for health.

腊八粥（Laba porridge）

通常，腊八粥由八种材料做成，这些材料可以是糯米（glutinous rice）、红豆（red beans）、小米（millet）、高粱（Chinese sorghum）、豌豆（ peas）、莲子( lotus seeds )以及红枣(red dates)、栗子(chestnut)、核桃仁(semen juglandis)、杏仁(apricot kernel)、花生(peanut)等谷物。

腊八蒜(laba garlic)

在中国的北方有一个习俗，在腊八节的时候把蒜泡到醋中，经过醋的浸泡后，蒜会变的通体碧绿。经过醋泡过的蒜和饺子一起吃更配哦~在中国“蒜”和“算”同音，随着年底的临近，在腊八节那天吃蒜是计算整年收支的象征。In North China there is a custom of pickling garlic in vinegar on Laba Day.After some pickling,the garlic will turn green.This pickled garlic goes very well with dumplings.In Chinese,the words"garlic"and"calculate"have the same pronunciation;therefore,eating garlic on Laba Day is symbolic of reckoning the year's income and expenses as years-end approaches.

腊八面(laba noodles)

因为北方人喜欢吃小麦面粉做的食物，所以在腊八节这天他们吃腊八面。Because northerners like foods made from wheat flour,they eat Laba noodles on Laba Day.

腊八冰(Laba ice)

北方人有一个习俗，他们在房子外面放一盆水等水冻成冰，在腊八节那天把冰捣碎并把它吃掉。据说，这天的冰拥有超自然的力量，它能让吃了的人一整年都不会肚子疼。Northerners have a custom of leaving a basin of water outside the house to be frozen;they break this ice into pieces and eat it on Laba Day.The ice on this day is said to possess supernatural power,capable of keeping those who eat it free from stomachache for a whole year.

明天就是腊八节，祝大家腊八节快乐Happy Laba Festival！