Introduction: Today is the Double Ninth Festival. Everyone posts about the Double Ninth Festival in the circle of friends, posting pictures of climbing high, photos of accompanying the elderly, and various blessings for the elderly. People often talk about the Double Ninth Festival, so is the Double Ninth Festival in the Gregorian calendar? Which day does the Double Ninth Festival fall on the solar calendar or the lunar calendar? Come with me and check it out.
Traditional festivals in ancient times were all based on the lunar calendar. The Double Ninth Festival on the ninth day of September is based on the lunar calendar, not the solar calendar. Double Ninth Festival, also known as "Old Man's Day". Because the "Book of Changes" defines "six" as a yin number and "nine" as a yang number, on September 9th, the sun and the moon are yang, and the two nines overlap, so it is called Double Ninth Festival, also called Double Nine.
What does the Double Ninth Festival mean?
The Double Ninth Festival, also known as the Double Ninth Festival, the Autumn Festival, and "Autumn Festival", is a traditional Chinese festival. Celebrations of the Double Ninth Festival generally include activities such as traveling to enjoy the autumn, climbing high to overlook, viewing chrysanthemums, planting dogwood trees, eating Double Ninth cakes, and drinking chrysanthemum wine. The ninth day of the ninth lunar month every year, together with New Year's Eve, Qingming Festival, and Ghost Festival, are collectively known as the four traditional ancestor worship festivals in China.
In the "Book of Changes", "six" is defined as the yin number, and "nine" is defined as the yang number. On September 9th, the sun and the moon are in conjunction with the yang, and the two nines overlap, so it is called the Double Ninth Festival. Called Chongjiu.
The origin of the Double Ninth Festival
Before the pre-Qin Dynasty, that is, at the end of the Warring States Period, the "Ji Qiu Ji" in "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals" already mentioned that "(September) orders the family chief. To prepare for the harvest, here are five key points." "On this day, the great emperor sacrifices himself and reports it to the emperor." It can be seen that at that time there were already sacrificial activities to thank God and ancestors and pray to them to fulfill their wishes. In the Han Dynasty, "Xijing Miscellaneous Notes" contains the following record: "On September 9th, wearing dogwood, eating bait, and drinking chrysanthemum wine will make people live longer." According to legend, from this time on, the custom of praying for longevity on the Double Ninth Festival began.
What are the customs of the Double Ninth Festival
Appreciating chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums, also called yellow flowers, belong to the Asteraceae family and have many varieties. Our country is the hometown of chrysanthemums, and cultivating chrysanthemums has been common since ancient times. Chrysanthemum is the flower of longevity and is praised by literati as a symbol of perseverance in the frost. Therefore, people love it and praise it, so large-scale chrysanthemum exhibitions are often held. Chrysanthemum exhibitions are naturally held on the Double Ninth Festival, because chrysanthemums are closely related to the Double Ninth Festival; therefore, the Double Ninth Festival is also called the Chrysanthemum Festival, and the chrysanthemum is also called the Nine Flowers. Appreciating chrysanthemums has become an integral part of the Double Ninth Festival customs. Volume 8 of "Tokyo Menghua Lu" of the Song Dynasty: "On the Double Ninth Festival in September, everyone will go down to enjoy chrysanthemums. There are several kinds. The yellow and white stamens in the lotus room are called 'Wanling Ju', the pink ones are called 'Peach Blossom Chrysanthemum', and the white ones have sandalwood hearts. It is called 'Wuxiangju', the yellow and round one is 'Jinlingju', and the pure white and large one is called 'Xirongju'."
Climbing
One of the most important festival activities during the Double Ninth Festival is climbing. Therefore, the Double Ninth Festival is also called the "Climbing Festival". There are no uniform rules for climbing wherever you go. Generally, you climb mountains and towers.
Flying paper harriers
Flying paper harriers is the main custom of Huizhou during the Double Ninth Festival. In other words, the folk celebration of the Double Ninth Festival in Huizhou is mainly characterized by flying paper harriers. This practice is not only described in the folk songs circulated in Huizhou, but also recorded in Guangxu's "Huizhou Prefecture Chronicles".
The paper kite is also the current kite. Kite is the name after the Five Dynasties. Before the Five Dynasties, it was customary to call it "paper kite" in the north, and "kite" in the south. Huizhou's "paper kite" obviously retains the ancient name before the five generations, and is a "mixture of north and south" the taste.
Drinking chrysanthemum wine
Chrysanthemum is a famous flower in my country and also a famous flower for longevity. "When the frost comes, only this grass flourishes." Due to the unique character of the chrysanthemum, the chrysanthemum has become a symbol of vitality.
Customs of the Double Ninth Festival in various places
In Xianghe County, Hebei Province, on September 9th, families related by marriage will give each other gifts, which is called "chasing the festival". Yongping Prefecture uses the weather of the Double Ninth Festival to predict whether it will be sunny or rainy in the future. If it rains on the Double Ninth Festival, it means it will also rain on these days. Since there are no mountains in Dianzhou County, the people of the county go to the city tower to climb up during the Double Ninth Festival.
Shanghai Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai will hold a chrysanthemum party during the Double Ninth Festival for people to appreciate, and hold a competition to determine the winner based on three categories: novelty, nobility, and rarity.
People in Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang Province visit each other during the Double Ninth Festival. Unless there is a funeral in the family of a relative or friend, they will only go to the funeral to cry and pay homage. In Tonglu County, pigs and sheep will be prepared to sacrifice ancestors on September 9th, which is called the Autumn Festival. At the same time, they also tie rice dumplings on the Double Ninth Festival and give each other gifts, which is called Double Ninth Festival rice dumplings.
Tongling County, Anhui Province holds the Dragon Candle Festival on the Double Ninth Festival to welcome the mountain god. It is said that cutting bamboo horses for fun can drive away the plague.
Wuchang County, Hubei Province makes wine on the Double Ninth Festival. It is said that the wine brewed here is the clearest and will not spoil after being stored for a long time. The Double Ninth Festival in Yingcheng County is a day to fulfill vows. On this day, every family worships the god of Fangshe Tianzu.