People eat Laba porridge at the Yonghegong Lama Temple in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 18, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

BEIJING, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) --The Laba Festival, literally the eighth day of the 12th lunar month, is considered a prelude to the Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year. It is customary to eat Laba porridge on this day.

The Laba porridge is made from a dozen varieties of grains including glutinous rice, red beans, millet, Chinese sorghum, peas, dried lotus seeds, and red beans.

Chinese people believe the festival meal of Laba porridge bears the auspicious meaning of a shared wish for harvest and abundance.

People queue up for Laba porridge at the Yonghegong Lama Temple in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 18, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

People queue up for Laba porridge at the Yonghegong Lama Temple in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 18, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

People queue up for Laba porridge at the Yonghegong Lama Temple in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 18, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

Laba porridge is served at the Yonghegong Lama Temple in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 18, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

A citizen shows a bowl of Laba porridge at the Yonghegong Lama Temple in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 18, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)