Chongyang Festival - the Chinese Double Ninth Festival, the festival of high places, and the celebration of the long-lived

The Chongyang Festival (Double Ninth Festival) is a traditional Chinese holiday observed on the 9th day of the 9th month of the Chinese lunar calendar, marking the convergence of the auspicious yang number 9 and the autumn season. The festival is associated with mountain climbing, chrysanthemum viewing, drinking chrysanthemum wine, and the honoring of the elderly, and is celebrated in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Chinese diaspora communities worldwide. Also known as Senior Citizens' Day in mainland China since 1989.

The one-line summary

A traditional Chinese festival observed on 9/9 of the lunar calendar (typically late September to early November in the Gregorian calendar), marking the "double yang" day of the year. The festival is associated with mountain climbing (登高), chrysanthemum viewing (赏菊), and the honoring of the elderly. Officially designated Senior Citizens' Day in mainland China since 1989. One of the most important traditional festivals in Chinese culture.

Origin

The Chongyang Festival has roots in the pre-Qin period (before 221 BCE), with the earliest references in the "Book of Rites" (礼记) and other classical Chinese texts. The festival was originally associated with the worship of celestial and terrestrial spirits, and was a day for offerings to the heavens and the ancestors. The festival became associated with mountain climbing during the Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE), when it was believed that climbing to high places on this day would help to avoid disaster and disease.

The festival became associated with the honoring of the elderly during the Wei-Jin period (220-420 CE), when the literati class adopted the festival as a day for the celebration of longevity and the gathering of friends. The association of the festival with chrysanthemums also developed during this period, as the chrysanthemum (which blooms in the 9th month) became a symbol of the festival and of the Confucian ideal of the noble recluse who retires from public life to cultivate virtue.

The festival was further enriched during the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE), when it became one of the three major festivals of the autumn season (along with the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Winter Solstice). The Tang poet Wang Wei's "Remembering My Brothers in Shandong on the Double Ninth" (九月九日忆山东兄弟), written during this period, is one of the most famous poems in Chinese literature and has become closely associated with the festival.

Mountain climbing

Mountain climbing (登高, deng gao) is the defining custom of the Chongyang Festival. The tradition dates to the Han dynasty, when it was believed that climbing to high places on the 9th day of the 9th month would help to avoid disaster. The custom developed into a wider celebration of the autumn scenery, with families and friends climbing hills, towers, and mountains to enjoy the views and to share food and wine. The custom is still widely observed today, with major mountains and parks in China and Taiwan drawing large crowds on the day.

The most famous mountains for Chongyang climbing in China include the Mount Tai (泰山) in Shandong, the Mount Hua (华山) in Shaanxi, the Mount Heng (衡山) in Hunan, and the Mount Emei (峨眉山) in Sichuan. In Taiwan, the most popular climbing destinations include the Mount Yangming (阳明山) and the Mount Dadu (大肚山). The Chongyang Festival is also a popular day for climbing the ancient city walls in cities like Xi'an and Nanjing, where the walls are opened to the public for the day.

The custom of mountain climbing on Chongyang is the basis for the festival's association with longevity. The high places are seen as a symbol of the long life that the festival wishes to celebrate, and the act of climbing is understood as a way of symbolically reaching the long life. The custom is also associated with the autumn season in Chinese poetry, where the climb up the mountain is often paired with the descent of the leaves and the gathering of friends.

Chrysanthemums

The chrysanthemum (菊, ju) is the flower of the 9th month and the iconic flower of the Chongyang Festival. The chrysanthemum blooms in the late autumn, when most other flowers have withered, and is therefore seen as a symbol of resilience and the ability to thrive in difficult conditions. The chrysanthemum was also associated with the Taoist recluses and the Confucian ideal of the noble scholar who withdraws from public life to cultivate virtue.

The Chongyang Festival is associated with several chrysanthemum customs. The most important is the viewing of chrysanthemums (赏菊, shang ju), in which families and friends visit gardens and parks to admire the flowers. The viewing is often accompanied by the drinking of chrysanthemum wine (菊花酒, juhua jiu), which is made by soaking chrysanthemum flowers in rice wine and which is believed to have life-prolonging properties.

The chrysanthemum viewing tradition is the basis for the Chrysanthemum Festival (菊花节) held in many Chinese cities, including the famous Chrysanthemum Festival in Kaifeng (开封菊花节), which has been held annually since 1983 and is one of the largest chrysanthemum festivals in China. The festival is also the basis for the Chrysanthemum Day (菊の節句, Kiku no Sekku) in Japan, which is one of the five seasonal festivals of the traditional Japanese calendar and is celebrated in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

Elderly honoring

The honoring of the elderly (敬老, jing lao) became an official theme of the Chongyang Festival in mainland China in 1989, when the government designated the day as Senior Citizens' Day (敬老节). The designation was part of a broader effort to promote traditional Chinese values in the context of the country's rapidly aging population. The day is now widely observed with visits to elderly relatives, the giving of gifts (often chrysanthemum tea or other health-related items), and the recognition of the contributions of older people.

The Senior Citizens' Day designation has been widely adopted. Many Chinese cities and provinces provide free admission to parks and museums for elderly residents on the day, and many community organizations host events to recognize the contributions of older people. The day has also become an important date for the marketing of health-related products and services, and is widely covered in the Chinese media.

The Chongyang Festival is also a public holiday for the elderly in Taiwan, where the day is one of the major traditional festivals. The Taiwan government has designated the day as Senior Citizens' Day (重陽敬老節) since 1966, and the day is observed with visits to elderly relatives, the giving of gifts, and special events for the elderly.

Famous poetry

The Chongyang Festival has inspired a rich tradition of Chinese poetry, with some of the most famous poems in Chinese literature associated with the festival. The most famous is the Tang poet Wang Wei's "Remembering My Brothers in Shandong on the Double Ninth" (九月九日忆山东兄弟):

独在异乡为异客，
每逢佳节倍思亲。
遥知兄弟登高处，
遍插茱萸少一人。

(Alone, a stranger in a foreign land,
I doubly pine for my kinsfolk on every festive day.
Knowing that my brothers are climbing high today,
Each one wearing a zhuyu spray, I'm the one they lack.)

Wang Wei wrote the poem at the age of 17, while studying in the capital Chang'an and missing his family in Shandong. The poem is widely recited on the Chongyang Festival and is the most famous Chongyang poem in Chinese literature.

Another famous Chongyang poem is the Tang poet Du Fu's "Climbing High" (登高), although the poem is technically about the autumn season rather than the Chongyang Festival specifically:

风急天高猿啸哀，
渚清沙白鸟飞回。
无边落木萧萧下，
不尽长江滚滚来。
万里悲秋常作客，
百年多病独登台。
艰难苦恨繁霜鬓，
潦倒新停浊酒杯。

(The wind so swift, the sky so wide, apes wail and cry;
The water so clear, the sand so white, birds wheel and fly.
The boundless forest sheds its leaves, shower by shower;
The endless river rolls its waves, hour after hour.
A thousand miles from home, in autumn, I'm on my own;
A hundred years of illness, alone, I climb the throne.
Hard is the road, bitter the hate that frights my hair;
New-stopped, the murky wine cup lies forgotten there.)

Du Fu wrote the poem at the age of 56, while living in poverty and suffering from poor health. The poem is one of the most famous in Chinese literature and is widely associated with the autumn season and the Chongyang Festival.

The Chongyang Festival has also inspired many other poems, including the Tang poet Wang Zhihuan's "Climbing the Stork Tower" (登鹳雀楼), which is one of the most popular Chinese poems for children. The poem is often recited on the Chongyang Festival, even though it is not specifically about the festival.

Related observances

The Chongyang Festival is one of the most important traditional Chinese festivals, and is part of a larger cycle of observances that includes the Mid-Autumn Festival (the previous major festival of the autumn season), the Winter Solstice (the next major festival of the season), and the Laba Festival (the next major festival of the winter season). The festival is also related to the Japanese Chrysanthemum Day (Kiku no Sekku), the Korean Chrysanthemum Day (중양절, Jungyangjeol), and the Vietnamese Double Nine Festival (Tết Trùng Cửu). The Chongyang Festival is one of the most widely observed traditional Chinese festivals in the Chinese diaspora, with significant celebrations in Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe.

Sources

• en.wikipedia.org, Double Ninth Festival.
• britannica.com, Chongyang Festival.
• chinahighlights.com, Double Ninth Festival.
• chinese-poems.com, Wang Wei, "Remembering My Brothers in Shandong".
• chinese-poems.com, Du Fu, "Climbing High".