The Laba Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the eighth day of the twelfth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which falls on Jan 27 this year. People around the country mark the festival in various ways, including eating treats such as Laba Congee — a rice porridge with nuts and dried fruits.

Employees of the Yunjin Museum in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, offer complimentary Laba Congee to visitors, Jan 27, 2015.

A migrant worker eats a bowl of Laba Congee handed out by volunteers at a construction site in Hefei City, Anhui province, Jan 26, 2015.

Medical workers at a hospital in Handan City, Hebei province, prepare Laba Congee for patients, Jan 27, 2015.

Sanitation workers in Xingtai City, Hebei province, line up to receive Laba Congee distributed free of charge by members of the public, Jan 27, 2015.

Children at a kindergarten in Kaifeng City, Henan province, learn about the ingredients required to make Laba Congee — part of Chinese traditional culture — ahead of Laba Festival, Jan 26, 2015.

Sanitation workers eat Laba Congee in Minquan County, Henan province, Jan 27, 2015.

Chefs at the Wenshu Monastery in Chengdu, Sichuan province, make Laba Congee, Jan 26, 2015

Various ingredients used to prepare Laba Congee, at the Wenshu Monastery in Chengdu, Sichuan province.