Laba Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the eighth day of the month of La, the twelfth month of the Chinese calendar. It is the beginning of the Chinese New Year period. It is customary on this day to eat Laba congee.

The Laba Festival's name represents its date on the Chinese calendar. La is the name of the twelfth and final month, and ba means "eight". In ancient China, the "eight" referred to making sacrifices to eight gods at the end of the year.
In its original form, the festival was celebrated by making sacrifices to gods and ancestors to wish for good fortune, health, safety, and a good harvest in the new year.The word la originally referred to these sacrifices.

Traditionally, the consumption of Laba congee is an important element of the festival. There are multiple legendary accounts of the dish's origins.One story says that it originated in the Song dynasty with Buddhist monasteries giving congee to people in honor of the story that Sakyamuni (Gautama Buddha) reached enlightenment on the eighth day of the twelfth month after eating congee.
Laba congee or Laba porridge is very popular in many places in China. Different kinds of rice, beans, nuts and dried fruits are the main ingredients. People believe that it's good for health in the winter.
It is also known as "eight-treasure congee and is usually made with eight or more ingredients, representing good luck.Eight is a lucky number in China,and the ba in Laba also means eight.
There are many variations of Laba congee in different regions of China.Ingredients can include mixed grains, such as rice, millet, and barley; beans and nuts such as mung beans, azuki beans, lotus seeds, peanuts, walnuts, and chestnuts; dried fruit such as red dates, longan, raisins, and goji berries; and other ingredients such as vegetables and meat.