Workers prepare the coarse cereals to cook the Laba Congee in a canteen in Taizhou City, southeast China's Jiangsu Province on Jan. 10. (Photo by Gu Jun, Xinhua)

Workers prepare the coarse cereals to cook the Laba Congee in a canteen in Taizhou City, southeast China's Jiangsu Province on Jan. 10. (Photo by Gu Jun, Xinhua)

The Chinese have a legend which explains how the Laba congee became so popular. When Sakyamuni was on his way into the high mountains on 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 has religious origins, though with the passing of time the food itself became a popular winter dish especially in cold northern China.