The Twelfth Lunar Month
The twelfth lunar month is also known as 'La Yue' or the Month of 'La'.
It is so called because of the 'La Ba' Festival, which is celebrated on the eighth day of this month. This festival officially marked the beginning of the preparation for the Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival.
A special porridge is served during 'La Ba'. This porridge, known as 'La Ba Zhou' is cooked with many different ingredients. The exact ingredients are not fixed, mainly different types of grains ,dried fruits and nuts like dates and cashews. There are many different versions of the origin of this porridge, and it is generally believed to have originated from Northern China. The lack of fresh food during the harsh winter forced the people to cook simple porridge from whatever ingredients they have at hand.
The 'La Ba Zhou' porridge is such an important aspect of the festivals that the emperors of ancient China will order it to cooked by the royal chefs and distributed to the court officials. Many civilians followed suit. Even today, the custom of giving this porridge as festive gift still existed.
Specially preserved pork sausages, chickens and ducks are also served during this month. These delicacies all have the word 'La' in their name, like 'La Ji' ('La' Chicken). They are also to have originally been preserved like this for consumption during the winter.
This month is the month of joyous anticipation. Spring is coming.