Thousands of residents and tourists gathered at the historic Wenshu Monastery in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, on Monday, lining up for a cup of freshly cooked laba porridge to celebrate the Laba Festival.

"Laba" literally means the eighth day of the 12th month of the Chinese calendar. Laba Festival, considered a prelude to Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, fell on Jan 26 this year.

It is a long-standing custom for Chengdu people to eat porridge on laba, and Wenshu Monastery has upheld the tradition of serving free porridge on this day for over 300 years.