The Laba Festival stands for the beginning of conventional celebrations of the Chinese New Year.     1     (celebrate) on the eighth day of the last lunar month. La in Chinese means the 12th lunar month and Ba means the eighth day of the month.

There are     2     (differ) tales about the origin of this festival and we can not tell which one is true. However, we agree this festival started as a sacrificial offering to ancestors. It was also a day     3     the ancient Chinese prayed that there would be a     4     (good) harvest than ever.

Laba porridge is a kind of     5     (tradition) food for the festival and it     6     (make) of eight ingredients, including sweet rice, red beans, peas, sorghum, etc.     7     this special day, people are eager     8     (eat) the porridge believing it will bring peace and good health in the coming year.

Another custom is to soak Laba garlic. The practice is very simple. Put the garlic into     9     jar, pour vinegar into it and then seal it. We’ll find it will turn green,     10    (watch) the color of the garlic carefully. By the time of the Spring Festival, we can taste it when eating dumplings.