The Double Ninth Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday observed on the ninth day of the ninth month in the

Chinese calendar The traditional Chinese calendar, dating back to the Han dynasty, is a lunisolar calendar that blends solar, lunar, and other cycles for social and agricultural purposes. While modern China primarily uses the Gregorian calendar for officia ...

. According to Wu Jun, it dates back to the

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

(25–220 AD). According to the ''

I Ching The ''I Ching'' or ''Yijing'' ( ), usually translated ''Book of Changes'' or ''Classic of Changes'', is an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese classics. The ''I Ching'' was originally a divination manual in ...

'', ''nine'' is a yang number; the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese calendar (or double nine) has extra '' yang'' (a traditional Chinese spiritual concept) and is thus an auspicious date. Hence, the day is also called "Double Yang Festival" (). It is customary to climb a mountain, drink

chrysanthemum Chrysanthemums ( ), sometimes called mums or chrysanths, are flowering plants in the Asteraceae family. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia, and the center of diversity is in China. Co ...

liquor Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through ethanol fermentation, alcoholic ferm ...

, and wear the ''zhuyu'' () plant (''

Cornus officinalis ''Cornus officinalis'', the Japanese cornel or Japanese cornelian cherry, is a species of flowering plant in the dogwood family Cornaceae. Despite its name, it is native to China and Korea as well as Japan. It is not to be confused with '' C. mas ...

''). Both chrysanthemum and ''zhuyu'' are considered to have cleansing qualities and are used on other occasions to air out houses and cure illnesses. On this holiday, some Chinese also visit the graves of their ancestors to pay their respects. In Hong Kong and Macau, whole extended families head to ancestral graves to clean them, repaint inscriptions and lay out food offerings such as roast

suckling pig A suckling pig is a Piglet (animal), piglet fed on its pig milk, mother's milk (i.e., a piglet which is still a "suckling"). In culinary contexts, a suckling pig is Animal slaughter, slaughtered between the ages of two and six weeks. It is trad ...

and fruit, which are then eaten (after the spirits have consumed the spiritual element of the food). Chongyang cake is also popular and incense sticks are burned during the holiday.

Origin

The origins of the festival date back as early as the

Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

According to legend, the traditions of hiking and drinking chrysanthemum wine on this day began with the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

man and his disciple . One year, Fei advised Huan to bring chrysanthemum wine and food and climb a mountain with his family on the ninth day of the ninth month. Huan followed his master's instructions, and when he returned home he found that his livestock had all suddenly died; if he had not climbed the mountain as instructed, the same would have happened to him and his family. An alternative origin story involves intrigue in the imperial court of

Emperor Gaozu of Han Emperor Gaozu of Han (2561 June 195 BC), also known by his given name Liu Bang, was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning from 202 to 195 BC. He is considered by traditional Chinese historiography to be one o ...

. As part of

Empress Lü Lü Zhi (241 BC – 18 August 180 BC), courtesy name E'xu (娥姁) and commonly known as Empress Lü () and formally Empress Gao of Han (), was the empress consort of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Gaozu, the founding emperor of the Han dynasty. They h ...

's jealous plot against Consort Qi, the latter's maid was forced out of the imperial palace. The maid, surnamed Jia (), told the common people that in the palace it was customary to wear

dogwood ''Cornus'' is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods or cornels, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are deciduous ...

and drink chrysanthemum wine on the ninth day of the ninth month, and these customs spread more widely. In 1966,

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

rededicated the holiday as "Senior Citizens' Day", underscoring one custom as it is observed in Mainland China, where the festival is also an opportunity to care for and appreciate the elderly. Double Ninth may have originated as a day to drive away danger, but like the

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival (see also #Names, § Names), is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is one of the most important holi ...

, over time, it became a day of celebration. In contemporary times, it is an occasion for hiking and chrysanthemum appreciation. Other activities include flying kites, making flower cakes, and welcoming married daughters back home for visiting. Stores sell rice cakes ( "gāo", a homophone for ''height'' ) with mini colorful flags to represent ''zhuyu''. Most people drink chrysanthemum tea, while a few traditionalists drink homemade chrysanthemum wine. Children learn poems about chrysanthemums and many localities host chrysanthemum exhibits. Mountain climbing races are also popular; winners get to wear a wreath made of ''zhuyu''.

Outside China

Japan

In Japan, the festival is known as ''Chōyō'' but also as the and it is one of Japan's five sacred ancient festivals (sekku). It is most commonly celebrated on the 9th day of the 9th month according to the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...

rather than the lunisolar calendar, i.e. on September 9. It is celebrated at both Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. The festival is celebrated in the wish for the longevity of one's life and is observed by drinking chrysanthemum

sake Sake, , or saki, also referred to as Japanese rice wine, is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indeed any East Asi ...

and eating dishes such as chestnut rice () and chestnuts with glutinous rice ().

Korea

In Korea, the festival is known as Jungyangjeol (), and it is celebrated on the 9th day of the 9th month. Koreans would consume chrysanthemum leaves in pancakes. As the festival is meant to celebrate and cultivate good health, outdoor activities such as carrying dogwood, climbing hills or mountains for picnics, and gazing at chrysanthemum blossoms are carried out.

Gallery

File:Chai Wan Cemetery Hong Kong Double Ninth Festival 04.jpg, Participants arrive at the Chai Wan Cemetery, Hong Kong, 2015 File:Chai Wan Cemetery Hong Kong Double Ninth Festival 02.jpg, Chai Wan Cemetery Hong Kong, 2015 File:Chai Wan Cemetery Hong Kong Double Ninth Festival 03.jpg, Chai Wan Cemetery, Hong Kong, 2015 File:Double Ninth Festival Xian Tang Village 01.jpg, Xian Tang Village, Dongguan, China, 2015 File:Double Ninth Festival Xian Tang Village 02.jpg, Xian Tang Village, Dongguan, China, 2015

References