The eighth day of the last lunar month marks the Laba Festival (Chinese: 腊八节). Laba festival is regarded as the prelude to the Chinese Spring Festival. A catchy nursery rhyme about the festival goes like this: “Kids, kids, don't be greedy. When Laba is here, the Spring Festival isn't far away.” After Laba, families will start their preparation for the Spring Festival: cleaning the house, setting up decorations, shopping and filling their fridges, etc.
On the day of Laba Festival, the majority Han Chinese have long followed the tradition of eating Laba congee, or rice porridge. It is usually made of diversified rice, beans, dates and dried nuts, which express a shared wish for harvest and abundance. Every year on this special festival, ZJU staff hand out Laba congee outside Zijingang Campus Canteen, making the winter days sweeter and warmer. It is also hoped that Laba Congee will bring good luck to the students as the exam week is around the corner.
Faculty and students queue up outside campus canteen for Laba congee