“腊八”一般可以直接用拼音“laba”来表示，后面进一步说明这一天是农历十二月初八（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.
因为腊八节有喝腊八粥（Laba rice porridge）的传统，所以也可以简单介绍说这天又称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.
腊八节，英文为"Laba Festival"，是农历十二月初八的节日，也是中国传统文化的重要组成部分。这个节日起源于古代的祭祀仪式，人们向神灵祈求丰收和好运。随着时间的推移，腊八节逐渐演变成了一个有着自己独特传统和习俗的节日。
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.
除了喝腊八粥，人们还会吃饺子、年糕等传统食品，这些食品都有着美好的寓意。此外，还有一些地方会举行庙会、烧香等活动，人们也会向家人、朋友和祖先表示祝福，祈求来年的好运和幸福。
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.
总的来说，腊八节是一个充满传统和文化意义的节日，是中国人民珍视家庭、祈求美好未来的象征。在腊八节这一天，无论身在何处，人们都会尽量回家团聚，享受美食和温馨的氛围。
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 腊八粥
= eight treasures porridge
glutinous rice 糯米
red kidney beans 红芸豆
millet 小米
Chinese sorghum 高粱
peas 豌豆
dried lotus seeds 莲子
dried dates 红枣
longan 桂圆
chestnut meat 板栗仁
walnut meat 核桃仁
almond 杏
peanuts 花生
white sugar 白砂糖
Laba garlic 腊八蒜
Laba beans 腊八豆
Laba rice 腊八饭
1、喝腊八粥
腊八节这天我国大多数地区都有吃腊八粥的,习俗。腊八粥是用八种当年收获的新鲜粮食和瓜果煮成，一般都为甜味粥。而中原地区的许多农家却喜欢吃腊八咸粥。
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.
粥要熬制数小时，然后作为祭品祭献给祖先。这个祭祀活动一定要在中午之前完成。之后，家人们坐在一起吃腊八粥也就成了传统风俗。
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.
最早开始于宋代，每逢腊八这一天，不论是朝廷、官府、寺院还是黎民百姓家都要做腊八粥。
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，腊八粥又称"大家饭"，是纪念民族英雄岳飞的一种节日食俗。
腊八粥可以翻译成Làbā congee [ˈkɒndʒiː] 或者Làbā rice porridge。
“拼音+单词”的折中策略兼具了文化性和解释性。
不过congee/porridge并不是随意的选择。
英文里三个常见的“粥”分别是porridge, congee和gruel。含义区别细微：
· porridge在陆谷孙主编的《英汉大词典》中的释义是：（谷物或豆类煮成的）粥，糊。其凭借较早的使用（1643年）和较广的使用面拔得头筹，甚至成为了另外两个“粥”的解释用词。
· congee: 例如《韦氏大学词典》给congee的英语释义：porridge made from rice （大米或小米）粥，稀饭。
· gruel: a thin porridge 稀粥（常用燕麦和牛奶或清水煮成，主要作为病人食物）
权威参考书一般反映的是过去的情况，要了解比出版年份更新近的用法可以参考网络论坛。Quora上多数答案与词典里的区别不大：
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。
因为中国人的粥大多以米为底，所以congee也就脱颖而出。
· “八宝粥”，因为有（超过）8种材料参与烹制。
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.
腊八粥包括糯米、红豆、小米、高粱米、青豆、莲子、干枣、栗子、核桃、杏仁等食材。
· “佛粥”，因为寺庙等场所会在这一天举办“舍粥活动”。
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.
寺庙会邀请香客们在这天免费品尝腊八粥。僧人会念经为众人向佛祖祈福。例如凌晨三点雍和宫门前就有人开始排队领粥了。
关于腊八节喝粥的起源，民间故事比比皆是。最著名的一个,明朝的开国皇帝朱元璋(1368 - 1399年在位)，小时候给财主放牛，因牛腿摔断被财主关在一间屋子里，不给他饭吃， 过了一段时间，快要饿死的朱元璋在屋子的角落里发现了一个老鼠洞，从中挖掘出红豆、大米、红枣等各种粮食，煮成粥食用，觉得非常香甜。因为这一天是农历的十二月八日,皇帝朱元璋将它命名为腊八粥。
Folktales（民间传说、民间传说） 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 （极饥饿的）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.
腊八粥是一种由多种食材熬煮而成的粥，所需要的材料各地也不同，主要包括这几种：
腊八节的另一传统是腌制腊八蒜。做法很简单，将剥好的蒜瓣放在一个可以密封的罐子里，然后再倒入醋。慢慢地，泡在醋中的蒜就会变绿。这样，到春节的时候，就可以在餐桌上与饺子同食了。
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.
经过醋泡过的蒜和饺子一起吃更配哦~在中国“蒜”与“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。
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（计算） the year’s income and expenses as year-end approaches.
慢慢地，泡在醋中的蒜就会变绿。这样，到春节的时候，就可以在餐桌上与饺子同食了。
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.
“腊八豆腐”是安徽黔县民间风味特产，腊八之前，黔县家家户户都要在空地上晒制豆腐。
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.
在我国北方一些不产或少产大米的地方，人们不喝腊八粥，而是吃腊八面。
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.
隔天将各种果蔬切碎，把面条擀好，到腊月初八早晨全家吃腊八面。
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.
腊八豆是湖南省地方传统小吃之一，腊八节节日食俗，制作材料有黄豆和盐等。民间多在每年立冬后开始腌制，至腊月八日后食用，故称之为“腊八豆”。其成品具有一种特殊的香味，且异常鲜美，因而很受人们的喜爱。
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.
