The Double Ninth Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday observed on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese calendar. According to Wu Jun, it dates back to the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 AD).[1]
Quick Facts Observed by, Date ...
Double Ninth Festival |
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Chai Wan Cemetery, Hong Kong, 2015 |
Observed by | Chinese, Japanese, Koreans[1] |
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Date | 9th day of the 9th lunar month |
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2023 date | 23 October |
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2024 date | 11 October |
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2025 date | 29 October |
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2026 date | 18 October |
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Frequency | Annual |
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Quick Facts Chinese name, Traditional Chinese ...
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Quick Facts Chrysanthemum Festival, Japanese name ...
Chrysanthemum Festival |
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Kanji | 菊の節句 |
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According to the I Ching, nine is a yang number; the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese calendar (or double nine) has extra yang (a traditional Chinese spiritual concept) and is thus an auspicious date.[4] Hence, the day is also called "Double Yang Festival" (重陽節).[5] It is customary to climb a mountain,[6][7] drink chrysanthemum liquor,[6][7] and wear the zhuyu (茱萸) plant Cornus officinalis. (Both chrysanthemum and zhuyu are considered to have cleansing qualities and are used on other occasions to air out houses and cure illnesses.)
On this holiday, some Chinese also visit the graves of their ancestors to pay their respects.[7] In Hong Kong and Macau, whole extended families head to ancestral graves to clean them and repaint inscriptions and lay out food offerings such as roast suckling pig and fruit, which are then eaten (after the spirits have consumed the spiritual element of the food). Chongyang cake is also popular.[5] Incense sticks are burned.[8]
The origins of the festival date back as early as the Warring States period[9]
According to legend, the traditions of hiking and drinking chrysanthemum wine on this day began with the Han dynasty man Fei Changfang [zh] and his disciple Huan Jing [zh].[4] One year, Fei advised Huan to bring chrysanthemum wine and food and climb a mountain with his family on the ninth day of the ninth month.[4] Huan followed his master's instructions, and when he returned home he found that his livestock had all suddenly died; if he had not climbed the mountain as instructed, the same would have happened to him and his family.[7][4][10]
An alternative origin story involves intrigue in the imperial court of Emperor Gaozu of Han. As part of Empress Lü's jealous plot against Consort Qi, the latter's maid was forced out of the imperial palace.[5] The maid, surnamed Jia (贾; 賈), told the common people that in the palace it was customary to wear dogwood and drink chrysanthemum wine on the ninth day of the ninth month, and these customs spread more widely.[5]
In 1966, Taiwan rededicated the holiday as "Senior Citizens' Day",[11] underscoring one custom as it is observed in Mainland China, where the festival is also an opportunity to care for and appreciate the elderly.[12]
Double Ninth may have originated as a day to drive away danger, but like the Chinese New Year, over time, it became a day of celebration. In contemporary times it is an occasion for hiking and chrysanthemum appreciation.[4][13] Other activities include flying kites, making flower cakes, and welcoming married daughters back home for visiting.[13]
Stores sell rice cakes (糕 "gāo", a homophone for height 高) with mini colorful flags to represent zhuyu. Most people drink chrysanthemum tea, while a few traditionalists drink homemade chrysanthemum wine. Children learn poems about chrysanthemums, and many localities host chrysanthemum exhibits. Mountain climbing races are also popular; winners get to wear a wreath made of zhuyu.