This is the original form of the Chongyang Festival that existed as an autumn harvest ritual. Chongyang Festival began in ancient times, molded in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States, popularized in the Western Han Dynasty, flourished after the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty was an important period in which traditional festival customs were blended and finalized, and the main part of the festival has been passed down to the present day.

Legend of Chongyang Festival: The legend of the origin of Chongyang Festival is like this: in the Eastern Han Dynasty, there is a plague in the Ruhe River, the plague where the devil is often sick or dead, there is a young man called Hengjing, after a plague appeared, took away the life of Hengjing's parents, Hengjing almost died, after recovering from the disease, Hengjing began to After recovering from his illness, Hengjing began his journey to find a teacher and finally found a powerful immortal on a mountain.

After practicing day and night, Hengjing finally learned the art of demon-slaying sword, on the eighth day of the ninth month, the fairy gave Hengjing a bag of cornelian cherry leaves, a cup of chrysanthemum wine, a demon-slaying sword, so that he could find the plague on the ninth day of the ninth month to rid the people of the pestilence, and finally Hengjing killed the plague, and from then on the ninth day of the ninth month to climb up to the mountains to avoid epidemics of the custom will be passed down.

Customs of the Chrysanthemum Festival: In ancient times, the folk in the Chrysanthemum Festival have climbed to pray for blessings, autumn tour chrysanthemums, wear dogwood, worship God and ancestors and drink feasts to seek life and other customs. In the past, people used to climb to the top of the mountain to pray for blessings, enjoy the autumn tour and chrysanthemums, wear dogwoods, worship the gods and ancestors, and drink feasts to seek longevity. The two important themes of the Chrysanthemum Festival today are the appreciation of the autumn and the thanksgiving and respect for the elderly.

The ninth day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar, the two suns are heavy, so it is called "Chongyang", Chongyang Festival is also the "Festival of the Elderly". Old people in this day or enjoy chrysanthemum to cultivate sentiment, or climb to exercise the physical fitness, to the Sanyu evening scene added infinite fun.

★★★ Chrysanthemum Festival customs ★★★

Autumn sends a refreshing, fragrant laurel, the first nine days of September in the lunar calendar, Chrysanthemum Festival, a wealth of activities, fun and interesting, there are climbing, chrysanthemum, drink chrysanthemum wine, eat cake, insert cornelian cherry, and so on.

Its and reflects a lot of history and culture.

★ Ascending

In ancient times, the folk in the Chongyang has the custom of ascending the heights, so the Chongyang Festival is also known as "Ascending the heights of the Festival". It is rumored that this custom began in the Eastern Han Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, there were many poems written by literati, most of which were about the customs of the Chongyang Festival; Du Fu's "Ascension" is a famous piece of writing about ascending to the heights of the Chongyang Festival. There is no standardized rule on where to go, but generally it is to climb high mountains and towers. There is also the custom of eating "Chongyang cake".

★ eat Chung Yeung cake

According to historical records, Chung Yeung cake, also known as flower cake, chrysanthemum cake, five-color cake, the system is not fixed, more random. September 9 when the sky is bright, with a piece of cake on the children's forehead, the mouth read the words, wishing the children a hundred things are high, is the intention of the ancients in September for the cake. The delicate Chongyang cake to be made into nine layers, like a pagoda, the top is also made into two small sheep, in line with the meaning of Chongyang (sheep). Some also inserted a small red paper flag on the cake, and light candles. This is probably the "light", "eat cake" instead of "high". The meaning is to replace the cornelian cherry with a small red paper flag. Today's Chongyang cake, there is still no fixed varieties, everywhere in the Chongyang Festival to eat the fluffy cakes are called Chongyang cake.

★ Appreciate chrysanthemums and drink chrysanthemum wine

The Chrysanthemum Festival is the time of the year when chrysanthemums are in full bloom, and it is rumored that the appreciation of chrysanthemums and the drinking of chrysanthemum wine originated in the Jin Dynasty with the great poet Tao Yuanming. Tao Yuanming was famous for his hermitage, poetry, wine, and love of chrysanthemums; later generations followed his example, and the custom of chrysanthemum-appreciation at the Chrysanthemum Festival came into being. In the old days, the literati and scholars also combined chrysanthemum-appreciation with banquets and drinks, in order to get closer to Tao Yuanming. In Kaifeng, the capital of Northern Song Dynasty, the chrysanthemum-appreciation style was prevalent, and there were many varieties of chrysanthemums with a variety of colors at that time. Folk also called the ninth month of the lunar calendar "the month of chrysanthemums", and in the Chrysanthemum Festival where chrysanthemums blossomed in the frost, viewing chrysanthemums became an important part of the festival. After the Qing Dynasty, chrysanthemum appreciation is especially prosperous, and is not limited to September 9, but is still the most prosperous before and after the Chrysanthemum Festival.

★ Insert Cornus and hairpin chrysanthemum

The custom of inserting Cornus at the Chrysanthemum Festival was common in the Tang Dynasty. Ancient people believed that in the Chongyang Festival on this day insert cornelian cherry can take refuge in disaster; or wear in the arm, or as incense bag to put cornelian cherry inside the belt, there are inserted in the head. Mostly women, children wear, some places, men also wear. Chrysanthemum Festival to wear cornelian cherry, in the Jin Dynasty Ge Hong "Western Scripture Miscellany" has been recorded. In addition to wearing dogwood, people also wear chrysanthemums on their heads. This was already the case in the Tang Dynasty and has been practiced throughout the ages. In the Qing Dynasty, the custom of the Chongyang Festival in Beijing was to put chrysanthemum branches and leaves on doors and windows to "lift up the evils and attract good luck". This is a variation of the head hairpin chrysanthemum. Song Dynasty, there will be colorful silk cut into cornelian cherry, chrysanthemum to give each other to wear.

The origin of the Chongyang Festival and the origin and legend 3

Introduction to the Chongyang Festival

The ninth day of the ninth lunar month, for the traditional Chongyang Festival. Because the ancient "I Ching" in the "six" as the number of yin, the "nine" as the number of yang, September 9, the sun and the moon and yang, the two nine heavy, so it is called Chung Yeung, also known as Chung Kau, the ancients believe that it is a worthy of celebration of the auspicious day, and from a long time ago began to celebrate this festival!

The celebration of the sun, the moon, and the sun, the two 9s overlap.

Celebrate the Chung Yeung Festival activities colorful and romantic, generally include trips to enjoy the scenery, climbing high and far away, viewing chrysanthemums, all over the insertion of dogwood, eat Chung Yeung cake, drink chrysanthemum wine and other activities.

The ninth day of the ninth month, because with the "long" homophonic, nine in the number is the largest number, there is a long life meaning, and the fall is also the golden season of the year's harvest, the festival of Chung Yeung, far-reaching significance, people have always had a special feeling for this festival, Tang poetry and Song Dynasty has a lot of congratulations on the Chung Yeung, chrysanthemums in the poems of the masterpieces.

Today's Chrysanthemum Festival, was given a new meaning, in 19 89 years, China's September 9 every year as the Elderly Day, the traditional and modern ingenious combination of respect for the elderly, respect for the elderly, love for the elderly, to help the elderly of the festival. National institutions, groups, streets, often at this time to organize from the work of the old people retired from the autumn tour to enjoy the scenery, or the water to play, or mountaineering fitness, so that the body and mind are bathed in the embrace of nature; a lot of families of the younger generation will also help the elderly elders to the countryside activities or for the elderly to prepare some tasty meals. Qu Yuan's "Faraway Journey" wrote: "Set Chongyang into the emperor's palace Ruoxi, make ten years and watch the Qingdu". The word "Chongyang" here refers to the day, not yet to the festival. Cao Pi, the Emperor of Wei during the Three Kingdoms period, in his "Book of the Ninth Day and Zhong Yao", clearly wrote about the Chongyang feast: "The years go by and the months come and go, and suddenly it is the ninth day of the ninth month. Nine is the number of Yang, and the sun and the moon should be the same, the common people commend its name and think that it is suitable for a long time, therefore, to enjoy the banquet high meeting."

Tao Yuanming, a literati of the Jin Dynasty, said in the preface to the poem "Nine Days of Idleness": "I live in idleness, love the name of the ninth. Autumn chrysanthemums fill the garden, while holding the mash by and by, the empty service of the Nine, send your mind to the words." Here both chrysanthemum and wine are mentioned. Probably in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Chongyang Day has been the practice of drinking wine, chrysanthemum appreciation. In the Tang Dynasty, Chongyang was officially designated as a folk festival.

By the Ming Dynasty, in the September Chung Yeung, the whole palace would eat flower cakes together to celebrate, and the emperor would personally go to Mount Banzai to climb up to the heights, in order to enjoy the autumn spirit, and this custom has been passed down to the Qing Dynasty.

Legends of Chongyang Festival

Like most traditional festivals, Chongyang Festival also has ancient legends.

According to legend, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a plague in the River Ru, and as soon as it appeared, people fell ill in every house and died every day, and the people in the area suffered from the ravages of the plague.

A plague took away the parents of a young man, Hengjing, and he himself was almost killed by the disease. After recovering from the disease, he left his beloved wife and his folks, and resolved to go out to visit the immortals and learn the art of getting rid of the plague for the people. Hengjing went around to visit the famous masters and masters, and finally found out that there is the oldest mountain in the east, and there is an immortal with infinite magic power on the mountain. Hengjing, undaunted by the difficulties and dangers and the long distance, was guided by the crane, and finally found the mountain, and the immortal with the magical magic power. Hengjing was touched by his spirit and finally took him in and taught him the art of demon-slaying. Hengjing was so impressed by his spirit that he finally took him in and taught him the art of demon-slaying sword.

On this day, the fairy chief called Hengjing to him and said: "Tomorrow is the ninth day of the ninth month, the plague demon will come out to do evil again, you have learned your skill, you should go back to do away with evil for the people". The fairy gave Hengjing a pack of cornelian cherry leaves, a cup of chrysanthemum wine, and taught him how to avoid the evil spirits, and told him to ride a crane and go back home.

Hengjing returned to his hometown, and on the morning of the ninth day of the ninth month, he led the townspeople to a nearby mountain according to the instructions of the fairy chief, and gave each of them a piece of cornelian cherry leaf, a cup of chrysanthemum wine, and made preparations to subdue the evil spirits. At noon, with a few screams, the plague of the devil rushed out of the Ru River, but the plague of the devil just jumped to the bottom of the mountain, suddenly smelled a burst of cornelian cherry and chrysanthemum wine, will stop, face suddenly changed, then Hengjing holding demon sword chased down the mountain, a few rounds on the Wen devil stabbed to death under the sword, from the first nine days of September to climb up to the custom of avoiding the epidemic year after year passed down. The Liang people Wu Jun in his "renewed Qi Harmonic Records" book has this record.

Later, people regarded the custom of ascending the heights on the Chongyang Festival as an activity to avoid disasters. In addition, in the traditional concept of the Central Plains people, double nine is also the meaning of long life, health and longevity, so later Chongyang Festival was established as the festival of the elderly.