Chongyang Festival 重阳节

The 9th day of the 9th lunar month is the traditional Chongyang Festival, or Double Ninth Festival. It usually falls in October. This year, the Chongyang Festival was on 26 Oct.

The Chongyang Festival is also a time when chrysanthemum blooms. So enjoying the flourishing chrysanthemum also becomes a key activity on this festival. Also, people will drink chrysanthemum wine. Women used to stick such a flower into their hair or hang its branches on windows or doors to avoid bad luck.

In 1989, the Chinese government declared the Double Ninth Festival as the Seniors' Day. A scholar in the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) described how the Festival is celebrated:

On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, people take wine glasses, teapots and food boxes and go up the mountains. All the mountains in the Xiangshan range are high. In these mountains are Fazang Temple with all a tall pagoda; Xianling Temple and Baoguo Temple, both elevated structures. Monks do not go up the mountains, but common people rent mountain gardens and pavilions or go to the pleasure haunts in the mountains to have fun.

The pastry shops sell cakes sprinkled with dates and chestnuts as thick as stars in a night sky. These cakes are called huagao – flower cakes. Pastry shop owners usually put colourful paper flags on their cakes. The flags are called ‘flower cake flags’. On that day, parents expect their married daughters to return home to eat flower cakes. If the daughter cannot come, the mother will complain, the daughter will be filled with sadness, and the younger sister will weep because she really wants to enjoy this rare chance to see her sister. Thus, this day is also called Daughter’s Day.

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九月九日是传统的重阳节，也叫双九节。通常是在阳历十月。今年的重阳节在十月二十六日。

重阳节正是菊花盛开的时刻。所以欣赏茂盛的菊花是这个节日主要的活动。人们也和菊花酒。妇人常爱把菊花插在头上，或把它的枝叶插在窗口或门上以避恶运。

1989年，中国政府宣布双九节为老人节。明朝 (1368 – 1644) 学者如此记载庆祝重阳节的情景：

明刘侗、于奕正《帝京景物略•春场》：

“九月九日，载酒具、茶炉、食榼，曰登高。香山诸山，高山也；法藏寺，高塔也；显灵宫、报国寺，高阁也，释不登。凭园亭，闯坊曲为娱耳。

面饼种枣栗其面，星星然，曰花糕。糕肆标彩旗，曰花糕旗。父母家必迎女来食花糕，或不得迎，母则垢，女则怨诧，小妹则泣，望其姐姨，亦曰女儿节。”