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The People's Chinese Dictionary

Date The ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese calendar. Oct. 19th in 2007.

Ways of celebration Climbing hills, drinking chrysanthemum wine and celebrating the lives of the older generation are all part of the double ninth celebrations.

Origin

The 9th day of the 9th lunar month is the traditional Chongyang Festival (重阳节), or Double Ninth Festival (重九节), which usually falls in October in the Gregorian calendar. In the ancient mysterious book Yi Jing (易经), or the Book of Changes, number "6" was thought to be of Yin character, meaning feminine or negative, while number "9" was thought to be Yang, meaning masculine or positive. So, the number nine in both month and day create the Double Ninth Festival, or Chongyang Festival.

Chong (重) in Chinese means "double." Also, as double ninth is pronounced the same as the word to signify "forever" (both are "Jiu Jiu," 九九-久久), the Chinese ancestors considered it an auspicious day worthy of celebration. That's why this festival has been celebrated ever since ancient times, with the custom of ascending a height to avoid epidemics being passed down from long ago. Therefore, the Double Ninth Festival is also called "Height Ascending Festival" (登高节). The height people will reach is usually a mountain or a tower, and ancient literary figures have written many poems depicting the activity. Even today, people still swarm to famous or little known mountains on this day. As part of the celebrations, people also eat Double Ninth Gao (糕, meaning cake). In Chinese, gao (cake) has the same pronunciation with gao (高, height). People do so to give hope that they will progress in everything they are engaged in. There is no fixed way for the Double Ninth Cake, but some cakes will have as many as nine layers, looking like a tower.

The Double Ninth Festival is also a time when the chrysanthemum blooms. China boasts diversified species of chrysanthemum and people have loved them ever since ancient times. So enjoying the flourishing chrysanthemum has also become a key activity on this festival. This is enjoyed not only by looking at the beautiful blooms, but also by drinking chrysanthemum wine. Women also sometimes stick such a flower into their hair or hang its branches on windows or doors to ward off evil.

Other

In 1989, the Chinese government declared the Double Ninth Festival as Seniors' Day. Since then, all government units, organizations and streets communities organize an autumn trip each year for those who have retired from their posts. At the waterside or on the mountains, the seniors will find themselves merged with nature. Younger generations will bring elder ones to suburban areas or send gifts to them on this day to commemorate their lives and achievements.

Vocabulary

祝您健康长寿