Double Ninth Festival

Synopsis

The Double Ninth Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, with a history of over two thousand years. Its four major customs are climbing heights, admiring chrysanthemums, drinking chrysanthemum wine, and wearing cornel branches. Wang Wei's poem "Thinking of My Brothers on Mountain-Climbing Day" is the most famous Double Ninth Festival poem. In 1989, it was designated as the Seniors' Day, and in 2012, it became a national statutory holiday for the elderly. Double Ninth cake is the traditional festive food. The repetition of "nine" (jiǔ) is a homophone for "long-lasting" (jiǔjiǔ), symbolizing longevity. The Double Ninth Festival embodies the traditional Chinese cultural virtue of respecting and caring for the elderly.

Overview

The Double Ninth Festival is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, boasting a history of over two thousand years. The term "Double Ninth" originates from the date itself—the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, where the number nine appears twice, hence the name "Chong Yang" (Double Ninth), also known as "Chong Jiu" (Double Nine). In traditional Chinese culture, nine is the largest Yang number (odd number). The occurrence of two Yang numbers on the ninth day of the ninth month is considered a day of peak Yang energy, thus giving the festival its name. Furthermore, "Jiu Jiu" (nine nine) is a homophone for "Jiu Jiu" (long-lasting), symbolizing longevity, enduring health, and auspiciousness. Consequently, the Double Ninth Festival is imbued with meanings of longevity and good fortune.

In 1989, the Chinese government designated the Double Ninth Festival as the "Festival for the Elderly" (Respect for the Aged Day), advocating for a societal ethos of respecting, honoring, loving, and assisting the elderly. The Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly, revised in 2012, explicitly stipulates that the ninth day of the ninth lunar month each year is the "Festival for the Elderly." Since then, the Double Ninth Festival has officially become a statutory holiday in China dedicated to honoring the elderly.

Historical Origins

The most famous legend associated with the Double Ninth Festival is the story of Huan Jing climbing a mountain to avoid disaster. It is said that during the Eastern Han Dynasty, Huan Jing from Runan studied under the mystic Fei Changfang. Fei Changfang warned Huan Jing: "On the ninth day of the ninth month, disaster will befall your household. Have each family member make a red cloth bag, fill it with dogwood (cornus), tie it to their arm, then climb a high place and drink chrysanthemum wine to avoid the calamity." Huan Jing followed these instructions. Upon returning home, he found all the chickens, dogs, cattle, and sheep had died suddenly, but his family, having climbed to avoid the disaster, remained safe and sound.

Four Major Customs

Mountain climbing is the core custom of the Double Ninth Festival. The ninth month features clear, crisp autumn skies, making it an excellent time for hiking. Ancient people believed that Yang energy rose and floated on the ninth day of the ninth month, and climbing high allowed one to absorb this Yang energy and dispel Yin evils. Today, Double Ninth mountain climbing has become a nationwide fitness activity—various regions across China organize climbing events during the festival.

Chrysanthemum appreciation is the most poetic custom of the Double Ninth Festival. Chrysanthemums bloom in late autumn, undaunted by the cold, and have been regarded by Chinese literati as a symbol of noble character. Tao Yuanming's line, "Picking chrysanthemums by the eastern hedge, I calmly see the southern hills," has become one of the most serene and beautiful images in Chinese poetry. The custom of appreciating chrysanthemums during the Double Ninth Festival became popular starting from the Wei and Jin dynasties and reached its peak in the Song Dynasty—the Double Ninth chrysanthemum exhibitions in Kaifeng were grand in scale, featuring hundreds of varieties.

Classic Poems

The most famous poem for the Double Ninth Festival is "Thinking of My Brothers on the Double Ninth Festival" by Wang Wei of the Tang Dynasty:

Alone, a stranger in a foreign land,
I doubly miss my kinsfolk on every festive day.
Knowing from afar my brothers would climb the height,
Wearing dogwood, but finding one member less.

These four short lines perfectly capture the melancholy of a traveler missing his hometown and family during the festival. "I doubly miss my kinsfolk on every festive day" has become one of the most commonly used phrases expressing homesickness among Chinese people.

Another famous Double Ninth poem is "Visiting an Old Friend's Cottage" by Meng Haoran of the Tang Dynasty:

Wait till the Double Ninth Day comes round again,
I'll come for chrysanthemums in bloom then.

The poet makes a simple and heartwarming agreement with his old friend to reunite and appreciate chrysanthemums on the Double Ninth Festival.

Double Ninth Cake

Double Ninth cake (also called flower cake) is the traditional food of the festival. It is a steamed cake made from rice flour, topped with dried fruits like red dates, chestnuts, and almonds, and sometimes decorated with small colorful flags. The custom of eating cake during the Double Ninth Festival stems from the homophone "gao" (cake) and "gao" (high); eating cake is equated with ascending heights. Ancient people would insert a small paper flag into the cake as a substitute for mountain climbing—this custom is called "eating cake instead of climbing high."

Tradition of Respecting the Elderly

The Double Ninth Festival embodies the traditional Chinese virtue of respecting and caring for the elderly. In Chinese culture, filial piety is the most important moral principle—"of all virtues, filial piety is the foremost." Since becoming the Festival for the Elderly, various regions organize丰富多彩的 (rich and varied) activities to honor the elderly on this day, such as free health check-ups, cultural performances, and mountain climbing tours. Younger generations return home on the Double Ninth Festival to visit their elders, offering greetings and blessings.

References

1. Baidu Baike: https://baike.baidu.com/item/重阳节
2. Wikipedia: https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-cn/重阳节
3. Thinking of My Brothers on the Double Ninth Festival: https://baike.baidu.com/item/九月九日忆山东兄弟
4. Traditional Chinese Festivals: https://baike.baidu.com/item/中国传统节日