The Laba Festival falls on the eighth day of the twelfth month of the Chinese lunar year. The festival has this name because the twelfth month is also called “la” month in Chinese while the number eight is pronounced “ba”.
腊八节,也简称“腊八”,在中国农历的十二月初八。这个节日之所以叫“腊”,是因为第十二个月在汉语里也叫“腊”月,而数字“八”的发音是“ba”。
Since it’s in the last month of the lunar year, the festival implies saying goodbye to the old and embracing the new, and is often regarded as a warm-up celebration for the upcoming Spring Festival.
由于它位于农历年的最后一个月,春节意味着辞旧迎新,通常被认为是为即将到来的春节做准备的节日。