The origin and customs of the Chongyang Festival:

One, the origin

1, from the I Ching

"I Ching" in the nine of the yang number of the heavy is one of the origins of the Chongyang Festival, the concept of the ancient people of our country, the double-nine has a long life, health and longevity of the symbolism of the double-nine, and the double-nine is also known as the" Double Nine", so the first nine days of the ninth month of the lunar calendar is designated as the Chongyang Festival.

2, from the activities of the festival

Additionally, the origin of the Chongyang Festival can also be traced back to the pre-Qin Dynasty, at that time there have been in September when the crop harvest to sacrifice to the emperor, ancestor worship activities, and in the Western Han Dynasty, people have in the September 9 dogwood, chrysanthemum wine drink the custom of the festival at the same time, but also at this time there is a festival of Chongyang Festival for longevity of the custom.

3, from the ritual

One of the archetypes of the Chongyang Festival is the ancient ritual of sacrificing to the fire, most of the regions in the south of the Yangtze River have the custom of sacrificing to the stove on the Chongyang Festival, and the sacrifices are made to the god of fire of the home, so in ancient times there was a custom of sacrificing to the fire on September 9, but with the development of the times, the fire sacrificing custom gradually disappeared.

2, Chongyang Festival customs

1, chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum Festival in ancient times, also known as the "Chrysanthemum Festival", chrysanthemum is the flower of longevity, but also a symbol of the literati writing frost indomitable.

In September of the lunar calendar, chrysanthemums are in full bloom, and chrysanthemum-viewing has become one of the customs of the Chrysanthemum Festival.

2. Drinking Chrysanthemum Wine

Chrysanthemum wine has always been regarded as a must-drink for the Chrysanthemum Festival, and an auspicious wine to get rid of diseases and pray for good luck.

Anciently, chrysanthemum wine was brewed at the first year's Chrysanthemum Festival for the second year's Chrysanthemum Festival, and the first blooming chrysanthemums and a bit of verdant branches and leaves were picked on September 9 and brewed together with grains to be consumed on the ninth day of September of the second year.

3, the high altitude

The Chongyang Festival is also known as the high altitude festival, the first nine days of September, it is the high and refreshing autumn season at this time the high altitude is refreshing, fitness to get rid of diseases. In addition, the high altitude also has a high rise, the meaning of high life and therefore respected by the people.

4, insert cornelian cherry

Cornelian cherry is a kind of aniseed plant, strong flavor has a cold, pain, worms and other effects of the Chung Yeung, cornelian cherry began to ripen for the evil gas, against the first cold in ancient times, people have "folded its room to plug" custom.

5, return to the parents

Old times, Chongyang Festival is also known as the Daughter's Day, where a daughter has been married to the family will be prepared to wine and pastries in the first nine days of September to meet their daughters back to their parents, which is the return to the parents.

Legendary stories of Chongyang Festival:

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a plague in the River Ru, and as long as it appeared, people would fall ill in every household, and even die every day, and the people in this area suffered from the plague's ravages, which was terrible to see. At that time, there was a young man named Huan Jing in Ru Nan County. One year, the plague took away his parents and almost killed him. After Huanjing recovered from the disease, he left his beloved wife and folks, determined to go out to visit the immortals and learn the art of ridding the people of evil.

He finally found an immortal in an ancient mountain, who was touched by his spirit of removing evils for the people and decided to take him as his disciple, gave him a sword to subdue evils, and taught him the art of subduing evils in secret. Huanjing was so sleepy and sleepy that he practiced day and night, and finally developed an extraordinary martial art.

One day, the immortal called Huanjing to him and said, "Tomorrow is the ninth day of the ninth month, the plague demon will come out to do evil again, now your skill has been learned, you should go back to do harm to the people!" At this time, the immortal gave Huanjing a packet of cornelian cherry leaves, a bottle of chrysanthemum wine, and taught him the secret of avoiding evil, so that Huanjing immediately rode a crane to rush back home.

Huanjing returned to his hometown, and on the morning of the ninth day of the ninth month, he led the townspeople to a nearby mountain as the immortal had instructed, and gave each of them a piece of cornelian cherry leaf and a cup of chrysanthemum wine. At noon, the winds howled furiously, the north wind suddenly rose, the sky was dark, and with a few mournful roars, the plague demon rushed out of the River Ru and swooped down to the mountain.

Just then, the plague demon suddenly smelled the cornelian cherry and chrysanthemum wine mellow fragrance, face suddenly changed, shivering, dare not go forward. After a few rounds of fierce fighting, Huanjing stabbed the demon to death and eliminated the plague. Since then, every year on the ninth day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar, the custom of ascending the mountain to avoid the epidemic has been passed down year after year.