Every year around May 5 is the traditional Beginning of Summer Festival in China. The custom of cooking porridge on this day began to rise in Sujiatuo Town from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. This custom was first formed in villages such as Bei'anhe and Xixiaoying more than a hundred years ago. On the day of the Beginning of Summer, the villages in Sujiatuo Town are generally based on the family unit, and the prestigious elders of the families are responsible for organizing the porridge cooking activities. These families generally have a few to a dozen households. The purposes of this activity are to pray for blessings, ward off diseases and disasters, and resolve conflicts between neighbors to create a harmonious atmosphere. The older people say that having porridge on this day can make people blessed with a year of peace and health.

(Source: Haidian District Culture Committee)