“臘八”一般可以直接用拼音“laba”來表示，後面進一步說明這一天是農曆十二月初八（the eighth day of the 12th lunar month）即可。
The 12th lunar month in Chinese is called la yue, so the eighth day of this lunar month is la yue chu ba, or laba.
因爲臘八節有喝臘八粥（Laba rice porridge）的傳統，所以也可以簡單介紹說這天又稱the Laba Rice Porridge Festival。
The day is also known as the Laba Rice Porridge Festival. The Laba this year falls on Jan 18.
There is an old saying: Don't make your mouth water, children, because the Laba Festival and the Spring Festival are just around the corner.
臘八節，英文爲"Laba Festival"，是農曆十二月初八的節日 ，也是中國傳統文化的重要組成部分。這個節日起源於古代的祭祀儀式，人們向神靈祈求豐收和好運。随著時間的推移 ，臘八節逐漸演變成瞭一個有著自己獨特傳統和習俗的節日。
Laba Festival, also known as the "Treasure Festival" in English, is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. It is an important part of Chinese culture, with a long history that can be traced back to ancient sacrifice rituals. On this day, people would pray to the gods for a bountiful harvest and good luck. Over time, the Laba Festival evolved into a holiday with its own unique traditions and customs.
除瞭喝臘八粥，人們還會吃餃子、年糕等傳統食品，這些食品都有著美好的寓意。此外，還有一些地方會舉行廟會、燒香等活動，人們也會向家人、朋友和祖先表示祝福，祈求來年的好運和幸福 。
Besides drinking Laba porridge, people also eat traditional foods such as dumplings and rice cakes. These foods carry wonderful wishes. In addition, some places hold temple fairs and burn incense activities. People also express their wishes to family, friends, and ancestors, praying for good luck and happiness in the coming year.
總的來說，臘八節是一個充滿傳統和文化意義的節日，是中國人民珍視家庭、祈求美好未來的象征。在臘八節這一天，無論身在何處，人們都會盡量回家團聚，享受美食和溫馨的氛圍 。
Overall, the Laba Festival is a holiday full of tradition and cultural significance. It is a symbol of Chinese people cherishing their families and hoping for a better future. On this day of the Laba Festival, people try to return home for a reunion, enjoying delicious food and a warm atmosphere, no matter where they are.
Laba Porridge 臘(là)八粥
= eight treasures porridge
glutinous rice 糯米
red kidney beans 紅(hóng)芸豆
millet 小米
Chinese sorghum 高粱
peas 豌豆
dried lotus seeds 蓮(lián)子
dried dates 紅(hóng)棗(zǎo)
longan 桂圓
chestnut meat 闆(bǎn)栗仁
walnut meat 核桃仁
almond 杏
peanuts 花生
white sugar 白砂糖
Laba garlic 臘(là)八蒜
Laba beans 臘(là)八豆
Laba rice 臘(là)八飯(fàn)
1、喝臘八粥
臘八節這天我國大多數地區都有吃臘八粥的,習俗 。臘八粥是用八種當年收獲的新鮮糧食和瓜果煮成，一般都爲甜味粥 。而中原地區的許多農家卻喜歡吃臘八鹹粥。
The Laba Festival, the day in most parts of China have the custom of eating Laba porridge. Laba is a harvest year with eight fresh food and fruits boiled, usually for the sweet porridge. The Central Plains have many farmers prefer salty to eat Laba porridge.
粥要熬制數小時，然後作爲祭品祭獻給祖先。這個祭祀活動一定要在中午之前完成。之後，家人們坐在一起吃臘八粥也就成瞭傳統風俗 。
The porridge must be boiled for many hours and then offered as a sacrifice to the ancestors. This must be done before noontime. Also, it is tradition that family members eat the porridge together. Then they leave some as a symbol of hope for a good harvest the coming year.
Since the earliest beginning of the Song Dynasty, this congee has been popular in the royal court, local authorities, temples and common families.
最早開始於宋代，每逢臘八這一天，不論是朝廷、官府 、寺院還是黎民百姓家都要做臘八粥 。
The Laba congee is called "Union Food" in Henan Province, which is a food custom in memory of China's national hero Yue Fei.
在河南，臘八粥又稱"大家飯"，是紀念民族英雄嶽飛的一種節日食俗。
臘八粥可以翻譯成Làbā congee [ˈkɒndʒiː] 或者Làbā rice porridge。
“拼音+單詞(cí)”的折中策略兼具瞭(le)文化性和解釋性。
不過(guò)congee/porridge並(bìng)不是随意的選擇。
英文裏三個(gè)常見(jiàn)的“粥”分别是porridge, congee和gruel。含義區别細微 ：
· porridge在陸谷孫主編的《英漢大詞典》中的釋義是：（谷物或豆類煮成的）粥，糊。其憑借較早的使用（1643年）和較廣的使用面拔得頭籌 ，甚至成爲瞭另外兩個“粥”的解釋用詞。
· congee: 例如《韋氏大學詞典》給congee的英語釋義：porridge made from rice （大米或小米）粥 ，稀飯。
· gruel: a thin porridge 稀粥（常用燕麥和牛奶或清水煮成，主要作爲病人食物）
權威參考書一般反映的是過去的情況，要瞭解比出版年份更新近的用法可以參考網絡論壇 。Quora上多數答案與詞典裏的區别不大：
Porridge is a dish of any boiled grain, gruel is a very thin porridge, and congee is a specific type of porridge made using rice.
porridge可以是任何谷物煮的粥，gruel是非常稀的粥，而congee就是大米煮的粥 。
因爲中國(guó)人的粥大多以米爲底，所以congee也就脫(tuō)穎而出。
· “八寶粥”，因爲有（超過）8種材料參與烹制。
Làbā congee contains glutinous rice, red beans, millet, Chinese sorghum, peas, dried lotus seeds, and some other ingredients, such as dried dates, chestnut, walnut, almond, peanut, etc.
臘八粥包括糯米、紅豆 、小米、高粱米 、青豆、蓮子 、幹棗、栗子、核桃、杏仁等食材。
· “佛粥”，因爲寺廟等場所會在這一天舉辦“舍粥活動”。
Temples will invite visitors to taste Làbā congee on this day for free. Monks will chant sutras and pray for Buddha to bless people. For example, people began to line up for porridge at Yonghegong in the wee hours of the morning at about 3 am.
寺廟會邀請香客們在這天免費品嘗臘八粥。僧人會念經爲衆人向佛祖祈福。例如淩晨三點雍和宮門前就有人開始排隊領粥瞭。
關於臘八節喝粥的起源 ，民間故事比比皆是。最著名的一個,明朝的開國皇帝朱元璋(1368 - 1399年在位)，小時候給财主放牛 ，因牛腿摔斷被财主關在一間屋子裏，不給他飯吃 ， 過瞭一段時間 ，快要餓死的朱元璋在屋子的角落裏發現瞭一個老鼠洞，從中挖掘出紅豆、大米、紅棗等各種糧食，煮成粥食用，覺得非常香甜。因爲這一天是農曆的十二月八日,皇帝朱元璋将它命名爲臘八粥 。
Folktales（民間傳說、民間傳說） abound as to the origins of eating congee during Laba Festival. According to the most famous one, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang (reigned 1368-1399), used to herd cattle（放牛） for a rich man. One day, his carelessness caused a leg of one of the cows to be broken. The rich man was so angry that he locked up the culprit（犯人） in a small room and didn’t allow food to be given to him. After some time, the famished （極饑餓的）Zhu Yuanzhang found in a corner of the room a rat hole that contained a supply of stolen red beans, rice, red dates and other produce. These he boiled into congee, on which he feasted voluptuously. Because that day was the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the emperor Zhu Yuanzhang named the congee Laba Congee.
臘八粥是一種由多種食材熬煮而成的粥，所需要的材料各地也不同，主要包括這幾種：
臘八節的另一傳統是腌制臘八蒜 。做法很簡單，将剝好的蒜瓣放在一個可以密封的罐子裏，然後再倒入醋。慢慢地，泡在醋中的蒜就會變綠。這樣，到春節的時候，就可以在餐桌上與餃子同食瞭。
Another custom is the soaking of Laba garlic.The practice is very simple. Put the stripped garlic cloves into a sealed jar, and then pour vinegar into it.Gradually, the color of those garlic cloves will turn green. By the time of the Spring Festival, you can taste the garlic while eating dumplings.
經過醋泡過的蒜和餃子一起吃更配哦~在中國“蒜”與“算”同音，随著年底的臨近，在臘八節那天吃蒜是計算整年收支的象征。
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（計算） the year’s income and expenses as year-end approaches.
慢慢地，泡在醋中的蒜就會變綠。這樣，到春節的時候，就可以在餐桌上與餃子同食瞭。
Gradually, the color of those garlic cloves will turn green. By the time of the Spring Festival, you can taste the garlic while eating dumplings.
“臘八豆腐”是安徽黔縣民間風味特産，臘八之前，黔縣家家戶戶都要在空地上曬制豆腐。
The Laba tofu is the folk specialty of Qian County in Anhui Province. Before the Laba Festival, every family in Qian County will dry tofu in open space.
在我國北方一些不産或少産大米的地方，人們不喝臘八粥，而是吃臘八面。
In some places of the North that do not produce or produce less of the rice, people eat the Laba noodles instead of the Laba porridge.
隔天将各種果蔬切碎，把面條擀好，到臘月初八早晨全家吃臘八面。
One day before the festival, people cut up all kinds of fruits and vegetables and prepare the noodle roll. Then in the morning of the Laba Festival, the whole family can eat the Laba noodles.
臘八豆是湖南省地方傳統小吃之一，臘八節節日食俗，制作材料有黃豆和鹽等。民間多在每年立冬後開始腌制，至臘月八日後食用，故稱之爲“臘八豆”。其成品具有一種特殊的香味，且異常鮮美，因而很受人們的喜愛。
Làbā beans, a traditional specialty in Hunan province, are made from soya beans and salt. People start to pickle beans at the start of winter and eat them at the eighth day of the twelfth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, hence the name "làbā beans (literally: là eight beans)". The food has a special smell and is particularly savory, and thus it is popular among people.
