The Double Ninth Festival, also known as Chongyang Festival, is held on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. It is also known as the Senior Citizens’ Festival. According to records from the mysterious book Yi Jing, the number 6 belonged to the Yin character while the number 9 was thought to be of the Yang character. So, on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, both day and month are Yang characters. Therefore, the festival was named the Double Ninth Festival. In ancient times, people believed that the double ninth day was worth a celebration. Since folk people had the tradition of climbing a mountain on that day, the Chongyang Festival is also called the Height Ascending Festival. The Chongyang Festival also has other names, such as the Chrysanthemum Festival. As “double ninth” is pronounced the same as the word meaning “forever,” ancestors are also worshipped on that day.
The festival is based on the theory of Yin and Yang, the two opposing principles in nature. Yin is feminine, negative principle, while Yang is masculine and positive. The ancients believed that all natural phenomena could be esplained by this theory. Numbers are related to this theory. Even numbers belong to Yin and odd numbers to Yang. The ninth day of the ninth lunar month is a day when the two Yang numbers meet. So it is called Chongyang. Chong means double in Chinese.Chongyang has been an important festival since ancient times.
The festival is held in the golden season of autumn, at harvest -time. The bright clear weather and the joy of bringing in the harvest make for a festive happy atmosphere.The Double Ninth Festival is usually perfect for outdoor activities. Many people go hiking and climbing in the country, enjoying Mother Natures final burst of color before she puts on her dull winter cloak. Some will carry a spray of dogwood.
It is hard to say when these customs were created. But there are many stories which are closely related. The book Xu Qi Xie Ji ,written by Wu Jun in the sixth century has one such story. In ancient times, there lived a man named Huan Jing. He was learning the magic arts from Fei Changfang, who had become an immortal after many years of practicing Taoism. One day, the two were climbing a muntain. Fei Changfang suddenly stopped and looked very upset. He told Huan Jing,On the ninth day of the ninth month, disaster will come to your hometown. You must go home immediately. Remember to make a red bag for each one of your family members and put a spray of dogwood in every one. Then you must all tie your bags to your arms, leave home quickly and climb to the top of a mountain. Most importantly, you must all drink some chrysanthemum wine. Only by doing so can your family avoid this disaster.
Things Chinese Do in Double Ninth Festival – Chinese Folklore
As mentioned above, on Chongyang Festival, people climb a high mountain drink chrysanthemum wine, and wear Cornus leaves in order to protect themselves from danger and evil. Also on this holiday, some Chinese also visit the graves of their ancestors to pay their respects.
Indeed, the Double Ninth Festival may have started out as a day to drive away danger, but like the Chinese New Year, over time it has become a day of celebration. In contemporary times it is an occasion for hiking and chrysanthemum appreciation.
Most people drink chrysanthemum tea, while a few strict traditionalists drink homemade chrysanthemum wine. Children in school learn poems about chrysanthemums, and many localities host a chrysanthemum exhibition. Mountain climbing races are also popular; winners get to wear made of cornus.
Origin of Double Ninth Festival – Chinese Folklore
The Double Ninth Festival, also named Chongyang Festival, falls on the ninth day of the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, hence it gets the name of Double Ninth Festival.
Chong means double and yang represents active, masculine. According to the traditional Chinese theory of yin and yang, both the 9th month and the 9th day of the month belong to yang, so is the name “Chongyang.
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