Ingredients of Laba Congee (Xinhua/Ding Genhou)

Laba is the eighth ("ba" in pinyin) day of the last month ("la-yue" in pinyin) in the lunar Chinese calendar. The day is observed as it heralds the approaching of the Spring Festival, or the lunar New Year. This year's Laba falls on January 5.

Laba was originally an occasion for people to give sacrifices to ancestors, to pray to the heaven and earth for harvest and good luck. As time lapses, many old rituals have faded away, but the old custom of having Laba Congee remains today.

Laba Congee usually contains rice, corns, beans and nuts, and sometimes with meat or fish. Crops are the most important ingredients as Chinese people traditionally value crop planting, and the seasonal congee is one way to celebrate their harvest.

The festival is also believed to have a close relation with Buddhism. It is said that the day is marked to commemorate Sakyamuni, the founder of the religion.

It is also on this day that people would begin their special purchases for the Spring Festival, from various kinds of food to room decorations.

Apart from having congee, Chinese people have developed more customs to celebrate the day. Here are some:

Laba Garlic: Women in east China's Shandong Province show how to make Laba Garlic, which is soaked in vinegar for 20 days starting from the day of Laba. (Xinhua/ Jiang Hao)

Winter Swimming: In some cities, winter swimmers have made the sport a way of celebration. Photo shows a winter swimming performance in Mingcuihu national wetland park in the city of Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region on Jan.7, 2016 (Xinhua/Wang Peng)

Shehuo is a traditional festive occasion where people sing and dance, mainly in the countryside of north China. Photo shows villagers practicing lion dance in northwest China's Gansu Province to pray for harvest and good weather. The shehuo performance will be continued from Laba to the Lantern Festival. (Xinhua/Fan Peikun)

Sheep fight competition: Sheep fight on Laba has become a special festive ritual for the past 23 years in Liangshan county, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Guo Xulei)

Baba Banquet: More than 600 migrant workers are invited to a banquet by a construction company in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Jan.27, 2016, the day of Laba. (Xinhua/You Qing)

Animals can also have their special food for Laba! A little bear is treated with a mix of fruits and vegetables including carrot, apple and cabbage, in a zoo in southwest China's Yunnan. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)