Chapter 686 - 538: Laba Festival Is Truly Fascinating
Time is like a book turning its pages quietly, and before anyone notices, the calendar has already slipped into that traditional day filled with the essence of Laba Festival.
Laba Festival, also known as "La Day," is one of the colorful traditional festivals of the Huaxia nation. It solemnly announces the approach of the end of the lunar year and heralds the forthcoming arrival of the Spring Festival, stepping in lightly.
On this day filled with ceremonial sense, every household busies themselves with cooking a fragrant pot of Laba porridge, a delectable dish that incorporates a variety of select grains and beans. Each ingredient embodies gratitude for the harvest and the deep anticipation of family reunions.
At Dorami Kindergarten, naturally, they wouldn’t miss the opportunity to celebrate this traditional festival.
Teachers have enthusiastically engaged in the preparations for Laba Festival, using their skills and love to create a unique holiday feast for the children.
At this moment.
The classroom of the young (4) class has been transformed, adorned with colorful and festive Laba Festival decorations all over the walls.
Festive and warm!
The children sit in neat rows, their little eyes focused intently on the stage.
Yang Yuxi, holding a picture book about Laba Festival, walks to the front of the stage with a smile, ready to tell the children the story of Laba Festival and help them experience the cultural atmosphere of the holiday.
Yang Yuxi’s gentle gaze sweeps over each child’s face, and she softly asks, "Children, do you know what special day it is today?"
"I know!"
"I know too!"
"Teacher, I! I know!"
The children suddenly become like ants on a hot stove, eagerly raising their hands, vying to answer the question.
"Alright, alright, the teacher knows, please quiet down first, sit nicely, and the teacher will call on you to answer in turn."
Yang Yuxi gently raises her hand, making a calming gesture, and the children gradually quiet down.
Once the classroom regains its tranquility, she smiles and calls out, "Let’s have Liu Yuanyuan answer first!"
Yuanyuan almost jumps up in excitement and exclaims, "It’s Laba Festival!"
"That’s right, today is indeed Laba Festival! Liu Yuanyuan answered very correctly, truly excellent!"
Yang Yuxi offers Yuanyuan encouraging praise and then presents the next question: "Now, can any child tell the teacher the origin of Laba Festival?"
This question perplexes many children, who shake their heads simultaneously, indicating they don’t know.
Nevertheless, a few children bravely raise their hands, among whom Lin Yipeng eagerly shouts, "Teacher, I know, it’s to commemorate a god named ’La’!"
"Lin Yipeng’s idea is really interesting, but unfortunately, that answer isn’t correct."
Yang Yuxi chuckled softly and continued to guide, "Although there is a ’La’ character in the name of Laba Festival, it’s not to commemorate a god named ’La’. Actually, Laba Festival is related to ancient sacrificial activities. People would express gratitude for the year’s harvest on this day and also pray for peace and prosperity in the coming year. So, Laba Festival is a holiday filled with gratitude and hope..."
The children listen, completely engrossed,
"Oh, I see!" Lin Yipeng scratched his head and sheepishly smiled.
"Teacher, I know now!"
Qingqing raises her hand high, her eyes glittering as she says, "Laba Festival is when we thank Mother Nature and the land god for giving us lots of delicious grains, isn’t that right?"
"Correct, Qingqing is really smart!"
Yang Yuxi smiles and praises, "Just like Qingqing said, Laba Festival is a day of gratitude. We need to thank Mother Nature for her gifts, the farmers for their hard work, and everyone around us for their help and support. So, does anyone know what fun things we do during Laba Festival?"
Weiwei waves her hand in a rush and says, "Teacher, I know! We eat Laba porridge!"
"Yes, Weiwei is very good too!"
Yang Yuxi nods and then briefly explains, "Laba porridge contains many kinds of rice and beans, and when we eat it, it represents family unity and abundant grains at home. Today, our kindergarten will also make Laba porridge for everyone to eat!"
Yuanyuan’s eyes immediately shine with excitement, and she can’t wait to ask, "Teacher, teacher, is today’s Laba porridge also made by Qingqing’s dad?"
Yang Yuxi smiles and nods in confirmation, "Yes! It’s made by Qingqing’s dad."
"Yay, that’s great!"
The classroom immediately buzzes with noise, the children are all smiles, some exclaiming, "Qingqing’s dad makes the best Laba porridge, I love Qingqing’s dad’s Laba porridge the most."
They’re really a bunch of little gluttons...
Yang Yuxi smiles wryly, shifting the topic to guide, "Aside from Laba porridge, do the children know any other customs related to Laba Festival?"
Qingqing thinks for a moment, then raises her hand and says, "Teacher, I heard my dad say that in some places, people soak Laba garlic on Laba Festival. Why do they soak Laba garlic?"
"That’s a great question!"
Yang Yuxi looks at Qingqing with appreciation in her eyes, "Soaking Laba garlic is a traditional snack, particularly in North China, and it’s a special custom of Laba Festival. Do you know? Laba garlic not only tastes good but also has a deeper meaning.
In the past, at the year’s end, adults would calculate accounts to see if they made a profit or loss, how much they owed others, or how much others owed them. However, people were embarrassed to directly ask for debts, what was the solution? Then, clever people thought of a good way—to send Laba garlic.