The Double Ninth Festival, which falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month every year, is a traditional folk festival in China.

In the Book of Changes, "Nine" is defined as the yang number, and the two yang numbers of "Nine Nine" are heavy, so it is called "Chongyang"; It is also called "double ninth" because the day and the month all meet nine. Returning to the truth in 1999, one yuan began, and the ancients thought that Chongyang in 1999 was an auspicious day. In ancient times, there were folk customs such as climbing to pray for blessings, enjoying chrysanthemums in autumn, wearing dogwoods, worshipping gods and ancestors, and feasting for longevity on the Double Ninth Festival.

Folk activities: Travel to enjoy the scenery, climb to the top, watch chrysanthemums, insert dogwood everywhere, hold a banquet to respect the elderly, eat Chongyang cake, drink chrysanthemum wine and other activities.

Extended information

Legend of the Double Ninth Festival:

According to Hanshu, during the reign of Emperor An of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Li Niangniang, who was pregnant with six wives, was victimized by Yan's family and fled to Chongyang Store, west of Luoyang and south of Funiu Mountain. Just on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, a girl was born, named Chongyang girl. Empress Li went through all the hardships and slowly brought up the Chongyang girl. Who knows that one autumn, there was a great plague here, and the people in the village and Empress Li were not spared.

Before she died, Empress Li told Chongyang's daughter about her life experience, and passed on the Yu Pei presented by Andi to her daughter, so that she could find an opportunity to sue Yan and get justice for her. After Empress Li's death, Chongyang women studied with teachers everywhere, determined to kill the plague demon and avenge their mother.

a Taoist priest was moved by her spirit, and taught swordsmanship carefully, and secretly told the four weaknesses of the plague demon: one is afraid of red, the other is afraid of alcohol, the third is afraid of stimulating the smell, and the fourth is afraid of loud voice, so that the Chongyang girl can act according to circumstances when the plague demon reappears on September 9 next year, so as to kill pests for the people.

On September 9th of the following year, people near Chongyang Women's Organization climbed Yunyun Mountain. The women had red cornus in their heads, and the cornus fruit was red. The leaves gave off a strange smell. When the men drank chrysanthemum wine, the plague demon appeared and shouted in unison: "Get rid of the plague demon, and the world will be peaceful". When the plague demon saw red, smelled alcohol and strange smell, heard shouts, huddled up, and the Chongyang woman stabbed the plague demon to death with a sword.

Since then, people in Chongyang Store have lived and worked in peace and contentment, and lived a long and healthy life.

When this story reached the capital, Andi sent eunuchs to inspect it, met Chongyang and Yu Pei, and informed Andi. Andi called Chongyang women to meet in Beijing, and the father and daughter hugged and cried. Later, Emperor An demoted Yan's family, specially built the Niangniang Temple for Li Niangniang, and made the daughter of Chongyang the Princess of Chongyang. Andy wants to keep the daughter of Chongyang in the palace, and Princess Chongyang insists on returning to the Chongyang store on the grounds that her mother is buried in Chongyang and she will go to pay homage every festival.

But every year around September 9th, you should bring chrysanthemum, cornus, chrysanthemum wine and cornus wine back to Beijing once to honor your father, and introduce local folk customs such as climbing mountains, enjoying chrysanthemums, drinking chrysanthemum wine and inserting dogwood into the palace. Princess Chongyang was born in Chongyang, grew up in Chongyang, got married and had children in Chongyang, and died at the age of 1. The local people built the Chongyang Taoist Temple for Princess Chongyang and came to worship on the Double Ninth Festival every year.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Double Ninth Festival