“小孩小孩你别馋，过了腊八就是年。”

转眼，腊八又在眼前。

腊八对中国人来说，是一个再熟悉不过的传统佳节。那么问题来了，你知道这一天为什么叫腊八吗？

腊八节为农历十二月八号，而农历中十二月称为“腊月”。《礼记》有云：“腊者，接也，新故交接，故大祭以报功也。”远古时起，中国人民便流行在每年年末举行“猎祭”，拜神敬祖，避灾祈福。因“腊”与“猎”通假，所以“猎祭”亦为“腊祭”，十二月也因此被称为“腊月”。腊八节的名称便来源于此。

汉代以后，腊八作为民间习俗逐渐流传开来，人们通常会在这天祭奠已故的亲人，也会前往寺庙为迎接新年祈福祷告。

People offer sacrifice now more to memorialize family members who have passed away. Those who visit temples on this day are not necessarily religious believers, but want to demonstrate their best wishes for the Chinese New Year.

腊八对古时的文武百官来说，也是恭受皇恩、领受腊赐的大日子！腊赐就是我们今天所说的年终奖，一般包括钱、粮等，各个朝代也不尽相同。诗圣杜甫就曾赋诗一首，感念受赏，写尽大唐腊八盛景。

诗中提到的“口脂面药”其实就是唇膏、面霜这类护肤用品。古代京都因大多处在西北黄河流域，冬日气候干燥，风尘漫天，凌冽的北风刮在脸上尤其裂人皮肤。因此，在唐代，一到冬天，便由朝廷有关部门制作护肤用品，供应内廷所需之外，也分发给百官。而能受此赏赐对官员来说也是一大殊荣。

《紫光阁赐宴图》卷 清 姚文瀚绘

腊八喝粥的传统可以追溯到一千多年以前的宋朝时期，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吃腊八粥。相传，腊八粥这一节俗的由来和佛陀成佛的故事有关。据说，释迦牟尼成道以前，已苦修数年，身体十分羸弱。幸得牧羊女施奶粥一碗，才得以恢复体力，修成正果。

The tradition to have Laba congee on this day dates back more than a thousand years. Legend has it that, before being enlightened, the Buddha worked hard for many years and was emaciated and weak. Thanks to the milk porridge offered by some shepherdesses, he recovered physical strength and later achieved enlightenment.

因此，现在的寺庙仍坚持着腊八施粥的传统，既是对困顿中的人们的一丝帮助，也是一种对善意的感恩。

Therefore, nowadays, temples adhere to the tradition of offering congee to the public on this day to show appreciation for the kindhearted and to help the poor.

腊八粥里的原料各地各有不同，但一般来说会包括大米、小米、糯米、高粱、黑米和薏苡仁等谷物；黄豆、红豆、绿豆、芸豆、豇豆等豆类；还会加入一些坚果，如红枣、花生、莲子、枸杞、栗子、葡萄干、核桃和龙眼等等。

The selection of ingredients for the congee may vary geographically, but generally it includes grains like rice, millet, glutinous rice, sorghum, black rice, and coix seeds; beans like soybean, red bean, mung bean, kidney bean, and cowpea; nuts like red dates, peanuts, lotus seeds, goji, chestnuts, raisins, walnuts, and longans.

冬日寒冷，一碗香甜的腊八粥下肚，感受到的不仅是一身暖意，更是春节将至的浓浓节日气氛。

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“过了腊八就是年”，愿今日之温暖驱散寒冷、驱逐疾疫，新的一年，一定是个好年！祝大家腊八快乐~

“过了腊八就是年”，新的一年，一定是个好年！祝大家腊八快乐~