Laba of love for festival

The Laba Festival, which comes ahead of Lunar New Year, is celebrated on the mainland with special dishes including Laba congee, garlic and tofu. This year the event, marking the eighth day of the 12th lunar month, was held on Monday. It calls for porridge featuring ingredients such as red beans, glutinous rice, millet, peas and dried dates, which provides a warm winter treat for food enthusiasts of all ages. Those looking forward to the Lunar New Year prepare Laba garlic while, in Anhui province, tofu made using soybean and spices is a local delicacy. Images from VCG, Xinhua and Mini Duan show the food on offer and the joy of those exercising their taste buds.