Shaolin abbot may submit Laba porridge as intangible cultural heritage   

河南少林寺連續(xù)7年廣施臘八粥 釋永信：欲申報(bào)非遺

釋永信方丈講，臘八節(jié)是中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日，也是佛成道日，是佛教最重要的節(jié)日，佛弟子稱之為“法寶節(jié)”、“感恩節(jié)”。為紀(jì)念佛祖成道，各地寺院在臘八當(dāng)天，用米、豆等谷物和棗、栗、蓮子等干果煮粥供佛。釋永信表示，希望社會(huì)各界能重視臘八節(jié)這一中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日。 [查看全文]

(ECNS) -- Shi Yongxin, Shaolin abbot, said the temple may consider applying for porridge served during Laba Festival to be added as an intangible cultural heritage, dahe.cn reported on Tuesday.

Shi disclosed the idea while giving away porridge to the temple's followers and citizens on Jan 27. The festival, also called Buddha Purnima, falls on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month and marks the day when Shakyamuni was enlightened or became the Buddha.

Shaolin Temple has a history of over one thousand years of distributing porridge for free.

Laba congee enjoys such a wide reputation that the Shaolin Temple will apply for it to become a national cultural heritage, it was added.

Abbot Shi also expressed a wish that Laba festival would become a public holiday during which the tradition of drinking a bowl of congee and praying for good health and happiness could be passed down.

At 9am, Shi and his fellow monks started to offer hot Laba congee, a type of porridge, to people waiting outside. Before 10am, 20,000 bowls had been distributed.

This is the seventh year since the Shaolin Temple resumed its tradition of offering porridge during the festival. The activity is held to benefit followers of Buddhism and to pray for the happiness of the common people, the abbot explained.