今日腊八，你知道“腊八”用英语怎么说吗？腊八节习俗又该如何用英语介绍呢？
腊八
“腊八”一般可以直接用拼音“laba”来表示，后面进一步说明这一天是农历十二月初八（the eighth day of the 12th lunar month）即可。
The 12th lunar month in Chinese is called la yue, so the eighth day of this lunar month is la yue chu ba, or laba.
因为腊八节有喝腊八粥（Laba rice porridge）的传统，所以也可以简单介绍说这天又称the Laba Rice Porridge Festival。
The day is also known as the Laba Rice Porridge Festival. The Laba this year falls on Jan 2.
祭祀、喝腊八粥、腌腊八蒜是腊八的三大习俗。
Three major customs on Laba are ancestor worship, eating Laba rice porridge and making Laba garlic.
祭祀
一岁之末为“腊”。在我国上古时期，人们把冬季祭祀神灵、祖先称为“大腊”，举行冬祀日子被称为“腊日”。
慢慢的每年农历腊月初八作为“腊日”逐渐被确定下来，成为祈求丰收和吉祥的传统节日。
The worship of ancestors, called "腊" in Chinese, and the sacrifice for the gods, called "蜡", both frequently took place in the 12th month, which led to the traditional name of the month: la yue. And the day of sacrifice is called la ri.
如今的腊八节，就像童谣里唱的那样，更多意味着春节序幕已经拉开，年味儿一天比一天浓了。
喝腊八粥
腊八粥可以翻译成Làbā congee 或者Làbā rice porridge。
“拼音+单词”的折中策略兼具了文化性和解释性。
英文里三个常见的“粥”分别是porridge, congee和gruel，参考网络论坛Quora上的答案，含义区别细微：
porridge可以是任何谷物煮的粥，gruel是非常稀的粥，而congee就是大米煮的粥。
Porridge is a dish of any boiled grain, gruel is a very thin porridge, and congee is a specific type of porridge made using rice.
腊八喝的粥也有若干别名。
叫“八宝粥”自然是因为有（超过）8种材料参与烹制。
腊八粥包括糯米、红豆、小米、高粱米、青豆、莲子、干枣、栗子、核桃、杏仁等食材。
Làbā congee contains glutinous rice, red beans, millet, Chinese sorghum, peas, dried lotus seeds, and some other ingredients, such as dried dates, chestnut, walnut, almond, peanut, etc.
叫“佛粥”是因为寺庙等场所会在这一天举办“舍粥活动”。
例如北京雍和宫、潭柘寺每年都有舍粥活动。今年因为疫情防控而暂停。此前许多人会在腊八一早去寺庙排队领粥，图个吉利，求个平安。
寺庙会邀请香客们在这天免费品尝腊八粥，僧人会念经为众人向佛祖祈福。例如凌晨三点雍和宫门前就有人开始排队领粥了。
Temples will invite visitors to taste Làbā congee on this day for free. Monks will chant sutras and pray for Buddha to bless people. For example, people began to line up for porridge at Yonghegong in the wee hours of the morning at about 3 am.
腌腊八豆
腊八豆是湖南省地方传统小吃之一，腊八节节日食俗，制作材料有黄豆和盐等。民间多在每年立冬后开始腌制，至腊月八日后食用，故称之为“腊八豆”。其成品具有一种特殊的香味，且异常鲜美，因而很受人们的喜爱。
Làbā beans, a traditional specialty in Hunan province, are made from soya beans and salt. People start to pickle beans at the start of winter and eat them at the eighth day of the twelfth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, hence the name "làbā beans (literally: là eight beans)". The food has a special smell and is particularly savory, and thus it is popular among people.
腌腊八蒜
腊八蒜就是用醋来腌制蒜，成品颜色翠绿，口味偏酸、微辣。泡腊八蒜是一道主要流行于中国北方的传统小吃。
Làbā garlic is made from garlic with vinegar. The food looks green and tastes sour and spicy. It is mainly eaten in Northern China.
一碗香甜软糯的腊八粥
裹着家的浓浓温情
带着爱的满满甜蜜
最是人间幸福记忆
纵使世间美味万千
难抵家中热粥一碗
愿今天的你
有人问你粥可温
有人与你立黄昏
监制/任帅
主编/谌伟春
编辑/李蕾蕾 杨笑聪（实习）
来源/中国日报双语新闻