The origin of Double Ninth Festival

Double Ninth Festival is a traditional folk festival in China, which falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month every year. The number of "Nine" is a positive number in the Book of Changes, and the two positive numbers of "Nine Nine" are heavy, so it is called "Chongyang"; It is also called "Double Ninth Festival", because both the date and the month conform to nine. Returning to the truth of 1999, the ancients thought that 1999 Chongyang was an auspicious day. In ancient times, there were customs such as climbing to pray for blessings, offering sacrifices to gods and ancestors, and drinking and praying for blessings. Inherited to this day, it has increased the connotation of respecting the elderly. Climbing mountains and enjoying autumn and giving thanks and respecting the elderly are two important themes of today's Double Ninth Festival.

The Double Ninth Festival originated from the worship of astronomical phenomena, which began in ancient times, spread in the Western Han Dynasty and flourished after the Tang Dynasty. According to the existing historical data and textual research, in ancient times, there were activities of offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors in the autumn and the season; The ancients offered sacrifices to the Emperor and ancestors when the crops were harvested in September, which was an activity to thank the Emperor and ancestors for their kindness. This is the original form of the Double Ninth Festival as an autumn harvest sacrifice activity. The Tang Dynasty is an important period when traditional festival customs are mixed and shaped, and its main part has been passed down to this day. In the historical development and evolution, the Double Ninth Festival is a mixture of various folk customs, bearing rich cultural connotations. In the folk concept, "nine" is the largest number, which means longevity, and it places people's wishes for the health and longevity of the elderly.

Double ninth festival custom

The custom of climbing on the Double Ninth Festival has a long history. One of the most important festival activities in Chongyang is mountain climbing. Therefore, the Double Ninth Festival is also called "ascensiontide". There is no uniform rule for climbing mountains. Generally, we climb mountains and towers. Of course, people climb mountains not only to climb mountains, but also to see the red leaves and wild flowers on the mountains and enjoy them by drinking and eating meat. This combination of climbing mountains and picnics is more attractive.

2. eat Chongyang cake. According to historical records, Chongyang cake is also called flower cake, chrysanthemum cake and five-color cake, and the production method is arbitrary. It was the original intention of the ancients to make cakes at dawn on September 9. The child put a cake on his head and said a word in his mouth, wishing the child all the best. Exquisite Chongyang cake should be made into nine layers, like a pagoda, with two lambs on it, which conforms to the meaning of Chongyang (sheep). Some people even put red paper flags on Chongyang cakes and light candles. This probably means "lighting a lamp" and "eating cakes" instead of "climbing", and using a red paper flag instead of dogwood.

3. Ancestor worship, Double Ninth Festival, New Year's Eve, Tomb-Sweeping Day and Mid-Autumn Festival are collectively called the four traditional ancestor worship festivals in China. On this day, Cantonese people call it "Mount Taigong", and all the family members will come back to "Mount Taigong", especially the men. In ancient times, there was a tradition of praying for ancestors. With the development and evolution of history, the family concept and ancestor worship in many places are getting weaker and weaker.

4. Chrysanthemum viewing and Double Ninth Festival have always been the custom of chrysanthemum viewing, so it was also called Chrysanthemum Festival in ancient times. September of the lunar calendar, commonly known as Chrysanthemum Month, holds a chrysanthemum party on holidays, and people from all over the city go to the meeting to enjoy chrysanthemums.

5. Drinking chrysanthemum wine and ancient chrysanthemum wine is specially brewed in the second year of the Double Ninth Festival in the first year. On September 9, the newly-opened chrysanthemums and a little green branches and leaves were picked, mixed with grain for brewing, and then used together for brewing until September 9 of the following year. Chrysanthemum wine appeared in the Han Dynasty. Later, there were stories about sending chrysanthemums for birthday and picking chrysanthemums to brew wine. For example, Emperor Wei Wendi Cao Pi once sent chrysanthemums to Zhong You on the Double Ninth Festival (wishing him a long life), and Emperor Liang Jianwen's "Picking chrysanthemums in the basket, the morning dew is wet" is an example of picking chrysanthemums to make wine.