Residents in Anyang City, central China's Henan Province have been flocking to shops to purchase ingredients for congee, a must-have meal for the upcoming traditional Laba Festival.
Celebrated on the eighth day of the 12th month on the lunar Chinese calendar, the festival is a time to partake in Laba Congee, a thick, dark-colored porridge made with beans and glutinous rice.
"With the Laba Festival approaching, I am here to buy some black beans and glutinous rice to make Laba Congee so we can enjoy the festive atmosphere," said a local resident surnamed Hou.
To meet demand, local supermarkets have prepared ready-made congee packs in addition to high-quality glutinous rice, red beans, green beans, and other ingredients for making Laba Congee from scratch.
"We put these items on the shelves a week ago, and we now have a wider variety available, including ready-made packs, others flavors including mixed nuts and purple sweet potato, lotus seed, and sweet white fungus," said Zhang Cuihong, a staff member at a local supermarket.
As the festival draws near, sales of the ingredients have increased significantly compared to previous years.
Sales of porridge ingredients surge ahead of China's Laba Festival
