臘八節(jié)來歷及傳說

　　Origin

　　起源

　　Laba is celebrated on the eighth day of the last lunar month, referring to the traditional start of celebrations for the Chinese New Year. La in Chinese means the 12th lunar month and ba means eight.

　　臘八是農歷十二月的第八天，是歡慶春節(jié)的開始。漢語里，“臘”的意思是第十二個月，“八”的意思是八。

　　Legends about the origin of this festivity abound. One holds that over 3,000 years ago sacrificial rites called La (臘) were held in the twelfth lunar month when people offered up their preys to the gods of heaven and earth. The Chinese characters for prey (獵) and the twelfth month (臘 La) were interchangeable then, and ever since La has been used to refer to both. Since the festival was held on the eighth day of the Last month, people later appended the number eight (ba in Chinese), giving us the current Laba.

　　關于這個節(jié)日的起源有很多種說法。有一種說法是大約3000年前，一種祭祀儀式叫做“臘”，會在農歷十二月舉行。人們向天上和地下的神獻出他們的獵物。那時候，表示獵物的漢字“獵”和表示農歷十二月的“臘”是可以通用的。從那時候起，“臘”就用來指這兩種意思了。因為這個節(jié)日是在最后一個月的第八天舉行的，后來人們就加上了“八”，于是就有了現(xiàn)在的臘八。

　　Legend

　　關于臘八的傳說

　　The eight-treasure porridge was first introduced to China in the Song Dynasty about 900 years ago.

　　八寶粥最開始出現(xiàn)是在900年前的宋朝。

　　Buddhism was well accepted in the areas inhabited by the Han Chinese, who believed that Sakyamuni, the first Buddha and founder of the religion, attained enlightenment on the eighth day of the twelfth month. Sutras were chanted in the temples and rice porridge with beans, nuts and dried fruit was prepared for the Buddha. With the passing of time the custom extended, especially in rural areas where peasants would pray for a plentiful harvest in this way.

　　那時候佛教已經被信奉佛祖釋迦牟尼的漢族人廣泛接受。傳說佛祖在十二月初八受到教化。人們會為佛祖準備好有豆子、堅果和干果的大米粥，寺廟里也會唱起佛經。隨著時間的推移，這種習俗就傳播出去了，尤其在農村，會用會用花生煮粥祈禱一年的好收成。

　　There is, however, another touching story: When Sakyamuni was on his way into the high mountains in his quest for understanding and enlightenment, he grew tired and hungry. Exhausted from days of walking, he passed into unconsciousness by a river in India. A shepherdess found him there and fed him her lunch -- porridge made with beans and rice. Sakyamuni was thus able to continue his journey. After six years of strict discipline, he finally realized his dream of full enlightenment on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. Ever since, monks have prepared rice porridge on the eve and held a ceremony the following day, during which they chant sutras and offer porridge to Buddha. Thus, the tradition of eating Laba porridge was based in religion, though with the passing of time the food itself became a popular winter dish especially in cold northern China.

　　另外還有一個感人的故事：釋迦牟尼在去深山求得理解和教化的路上又餓又累。由于連日走得精疲力竭，他在印度的一條河邊不省人事。一個牧羊女發(fā)現(xiàn)了她，把自己的午餐——用豆子和大米做的粥 ——給他吃了。釋迦牟尼因此得以繼續(xù)他的旅程。經過六年嚴格的修行之后，他終于在農歷十二月初八悟到了自己充滿啟示的夢。從那時起，僧人們就要在臘八前夜準備米粥，在第二天舉行一個儀式，他們要唱著佛經獻粥給佛祖。因此，吃臘八粥的傳統(tǒng)其實是源于宗教的，雖然隨著時間的流逝，這種食物本身就成了冬日的一道美食，尤其在寒冷的中國北方。

　　According to written records, large Buddhist temples would offer it to the poor to show their faith to Buddha. In the Ming Dynasty about 500 years ago, it became such a holy food that emperors would offer it to their officials during festivals. As it gained favor in the feudal upper class, it also quickly became popular throughout the country.

　　根據(jù)有記載的歷史，大的佛寺要向窮人施粥以顯示對佛祖的信仰。在距今500年前的明朝，臘八粥變成了神圣的食物，就連皇帝也要在過節(jié)的時候賜粥給群臣。在封建上層社會的推動下，臘八粥迅速風靡全國。

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