The date of “重阳节 (chóng yáng jié)” is September 9th of the Lunar Calendar, and in English which it is called the Double Ninth Festival. As shown in previous articles, Tomb-sweeping day, New Year’s Eve, Zhongyuan Festival (July 15th in Lunar), and Double Ninth Festival are all traditional festivals for worshiping ancestors.
In The Book of Changes, 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. “Nine” is seen as the largest number in numbers that reflect long life and represent wishes for the health and longevity of the elderly.
Customs
During “重阳节 (chóng yáng jié) Double Ninth Festival” people engage in ancestors worship, climbing mountains, and some other activities very similar to those experienced during most of the other Chinese festivals.
Appreciate 菊花 ( jú huā, Chrysanthemum)
It has always been celebrated during the day time, so the Double Ninth day is also called Chrysanthemum Day. The custom of enjoying chrysanthemums originates from the culture where chrysanthemum is deemed as a naturally hardy flower and is praised for its growth even in the frost.
菊花 (jú huā) : n. Chrysanthemum
Example:
jú huā zài qiū jì kāi.
菊花在秋季开。
Chrysanthemums put forth flowers in autumn.
tā ài méi guī hé jú huā.
她爱玫瑰和菊花。
She loves roses and chrysanthemums.
Since the period of three kingdoms and Weijin (from 220 AD to 420AD), drinking and composing poems at a party while appreciating chrysanthemums has become a fashionable custom.
As mentioned earlier, the chrysanthemum symbolizes long life and is the symbol of hearty resolution for poets who compose poems about the topic.
Drink the wine made from chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum contains healthy ingredients and there’s a record from the Jin dynasty (260 AD to 420 AD), that someone lengthened their life by drinking valley water surrounded by chrysanthemums.
The chrysanthemum wine, one essential drinking in ancient, is believed as the “幸运的 (xìng yùn de) lucky” wine dispelling disasters and praying for blessings from the perspective of psychology.
In the aspect of medicine, the wine is a medical liquor tasted with a slight bitterness, assisting you to clear the vision and refresh the mind after drinking.
幸运的( xìng yùn de): adj. Lucky
Example:
yǒu xiē rén sì hū cóng lái dōu shì xìng yùn de.
有些人似乎从来都是幸运的。
Some people seem to always be lucky.
wǒ rèn wéi zì jǐ shì dì qiú shàng zuì xìng yùn de rén.
我认为自己是地球上最幸运的人。
I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.
Wearing Dogwood
Dogwood, also known as Cornel, is from the dogwood tree that can be made into Chinese medicine which enables people to expel insects and dampness when climbing mountains on this day, thus people would like to wear it on their arms or grind and put it in a sachet to bring with them.
The “芳香（fāng xiāng) fragrance” of cornel is strong in order to clear vision, refresh minds, relieve fever, expel insects, de-humidify, etc. During the Double Ninth Day, people take this opportunity to maintain their health by interacting with cornel.
芳香 (fāng xiāng): n. fragrance
zhè zhǒng féi zào yǒu yì gǔ huā yì bān de fāng xiāng.
这种肥皂有一股花一般的芳香。
This soap has a delicate fragrance like a flower.
yě cǎo sàn fā chū fāng xiāng.
野草散发出芳香。
A sweet fragrance rose from the wild grasses.
There are many poems centered around Double Ninth Day and Cornel such as “九月九日忆山东兄弟 (Jiǔ yuè jiǔ rì yì shāndōng xiōngdì) Remembering my Shandong Brothers”, by the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei:
dú zài yì xiāng wéi yì kè,
独在异乡为异客，
I am alone and a stranger in a strange land,
měi féng jiā jié bèi sī qīn.
每逢佳节倍思亲。
twice as homesick during the holiday.
yáo zhī xiōng dì dēng gāo chù,
遥知兄弟登高处，
I am in a remote place but know my brothers are climbing,
biàn chā zhū yú shǎo yì rén.
遍插茱萸少一人。
one less person amiss in those who wear the cornel.
While the Double Ninth festival may have originated as a day to drive away danger, over time it became a day of celebration. In contemporary times it is an occasion for hiking, flying kites, making flower cakes, drinking chrysanthemum tea and chrysanthemum wine while children learn poems about chrysanthemums.
You May Want to Learn More:
The Mid-Autumn Festival Moon Has the Power to Reunite Family
Different Customs and Taboos of the Hungry Ghost Festival in China
Chinese Summer Solstice Features Feminine Energy and Cold Noodles
