The Double Ninth Festival falls on the ninth day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar. The two ninths coincide with each other, so it is called the "Double Ninth Festival". Folks have the custom of climbing on this day, so the Double Ninth Festival is also called the "Climbing Festival". There are also sayings such as Chongjiu Festival, Dogwood Festival, and Chrysanthemum Festival. Since "Jiujiu" (九九), the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, is homophonic to "jiujiu", which means longevity, ancestor worship and elder-respecting activities are often held on this day.
The Double Ninth Festival is a traditional festival in my country, which falls on the ninth day of September in the lunar calendar every year. The Double Ninth Festival originated from the worship of celestial phenomena and evolved from the sacrifices made after the autumn harvest in ancient times. The traditional customs of the Double Ninth Festival include: climbing mountains, admiring autumn, admiring chrysanthemums, hanging gourds, wearing dogwoods, flying paper kites, eating Double Ninth cakes, drinking chrysanthemum wine, being grateful and respecting the elderly, etc. I think among the many customs of the Double Ninth Festival, the most worth mentioning There are 6 of them, let’s take a look with me:
One of the traditional customs of the Double Ninth Festival: hanging gourds?
There is a traditional custom of hanging gourds on the Double Ninth Festival. According to folklore, when the King of Medicine descended to the human world, poisonous insects and plagues were rampant. In order to save all sentient beings, he put his magic medicine in a gourd and hung it on the doorsteps of people's homes to kill insects and plagues and save all sentient beings. Therefore, the Feng Shui custom of hanging gourds at the door of homes during the Double Ninth Festival remains.
On the Double Ninth Festival, when plague comes and evil spreads, people will hang various gourds at the door to calm down the evil and get rid of the disease. Among them, the obsidian gourd has the best effect. Among the ancient Buddhist cultural relics, there are quite a few obsidian sacred objects or Buddha statues that are used to guard homes or ward off evil spirits.
?The second traditional custom of the Double Ninth Festival: climbing?
In ancient times, people had the custom of climbing during the Double Ninth Festival, so the Double Ninth Festival is also called the "Climbing Festival". According to legend, this custom began in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Literati in the Tang Dynasty wrote many climbing poems, most of which were about the customs of the Double Ninth Festival: Du Fu's Ten Rhymes "Climbing High" is a famous poem about climbing on the Double Ninth Festival. There are no uniform regulations except for climbing places. Generally, climbing mountains, Climb the tower. Many people choose to climb heights during the Double Ninth Festival, so the Double Ninth Festival is also called the "Height Climbing Festival". There are no uniform rules for climbing wherever you go. Generally, you climb mountains and towers. Especially on a special day, it is even more enjoyable, which is the Climbing Festival on the Double Ninth Festival.
The ancient ascent comes from a legend in the Han Dynasty. It is said that the immortal Fei Changfang of the Later Han Dynasty said to his disciple Huan Jing one day: "On September 9, your family will be in disaster. If you bring Everyone in the whole family holds red bags of dogwood, hangs them on their arms, and goes up high to drink chrysanthemum wine, so that they can avoid disasters." Huan Jing followed the master's instructions and took the whole family to the mountains for fun on September 9th, and then returned home in the evening. When he took a look, he saw that all the poultry and livestock in the house died suddenly, and he knew that what the master said was true and that he and his family had escaped. Later generations passed it down from generation to generation, and regarded September 9th as a time to climb high to avoid disasters, drink and party, and then gradually became a custom.
Also, the Double Ninth Festival climbing originated from ancient people’s worship of mountain gods. Belief in mountain gods can protect people from disasters. The ancients believed that "nine is the old Yang, and the Yang pole must change." On September 9, the month and day are both the number of the old Yang, which is unlucky. Therefore, people must go to the mountains to play on the Double Ninth Festival when "the anode must change" to avoid disasters. Initially, people also worshiped the mountain gods for peace and good fortune, but later it gradually evolved into a customary activity.
?The third traditional custom of the Double Ninth Festival: Double Ninth Cake?
There is also the traditional custom of eating "Double Ninth Cake". Double Ninth Festival cake, also called flower cake or Double Ninth Festival flower cake, is a traditional holiday cake in my country. The custom of eating cake in September originated very early. It was called "bait" in the Han Dynasty, and its raw material is millet. Millet is the most important grain in the world, and in ancient times it was a good food for entertaining guests and offering sacrifices. In September, when the millet is ripe, millet is first offered as a sacrifice to the ancestors. The predecessor of Double Ninth Cake is a new food in September. This is the origin of the custom of using Double Ninth Cake to recommend gods and ancestors during the Autumn Festival during the Double Ninth Festival.
According to historical records, Double Ninth Cake is also called flower cake, chrysanthemum cake, and five-color cake. There is no set method for making it and it is relatively random. At dawn on September 9th, people would put a piece of cake on their children's foreheads and say some words to wish them well. This was the original intention of the ancients to make cakes in September. The special Double Ninth Festival cake should be made into nine layers, like a pagoda, with two lambs on top to match the meaning of the Double Ninth Festival (sheep). Some people also put a small red paper flag on the Double Ninth Festival cake and light candles.
This probably means "lighting up lanterns" and "eating cakes" instead of "climbing high", and using small red paper flags instead of dogwood. Today's Double Ninth Cake still has no fixed variety. The soft rice cakes eaten on the Double Ninth Festival in various places are called For the Double Ninth Festival cake.
?The fourth traditional custom of the Double Ninth Festival: appreciating chrysanthemums and drinking chrysanthemum wine?
Double Ninth Festival is the golden autumn season of the year, when chrysanthemums are in full bloom. It is said that appreciating chrysanthemums and drinking chrysanthemum wine Wine originated from Tao Yuanming, a great poet of the Jin Dynasty. Tao Yuanming was famous for his seclusion, his poetry, his wine, and his love of chrysanthemums: later generations followed his example, and the custom of appreciating chrysanthemums on the Double Ninth Festival began. In the old days, the top ten literati would combine chrysanthemum appreciation with banquets in order to get closer to Tao Yuanming.
In Kaifeng, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, the custom of chrysanthemum viewing was very popular during the Double Ninth Festival. At that time, there were many varieties of chrysanthemums in various shapes and forms. Folks also call the ninth month of the lunar calendar the "Chrysanthemum Moon". During the Double Ninth Festival when chrysanthemums are in full bloom, viewing chrysanthemums has become an important part of the festival. After the Qing Dynasty, the custom of chrysanthemums became particularly prosperous, and the custom was not limited to September 9th. But it is still most prosperous around the Double Ninth Festival.
?The fifth traditional custom of the Double Ninth Festival: wearing dogwood?
In ancient times, there was a traditional custom of planting dogwood on September 9th, so the Double Ninth Festival is also called the Dogwood Festival. Cornus officinalis has a strong fragrance and can repel insects, remove dampness, and remove wind evil. It also has the functions of eliminating food accumulation and treating cold and heat. It can be used as medicine, and can also be used to make wine to maintain health and eliminate diseases. Therefore, on the Double Ninth Festival, people have the custom of wearing dogwood or planting dogwood when climbing high and looking into the distance. They can also give dogwood as gifts to relatives and friends in order to ward off evil spirits, seek good luck, and prolong life. Cornus officinalis is used as medicine and can be used to make wine to nourish the body and cure diseases. Folks believe that September 9th is also a day of misfortune and disaster, so people like to wear Zhuhuang during the Double Ninth Festival to ward off evil spirits and seek good luck. Therefore, Zhuhuang is also called the "evil-warranting man".
The ninth day of the ninth lunar month has the auspicious meaning of "good for a long time". Cao Pi at the end of the Han Dynasty said in "The Book of Nine Months and Zhong Yao": "As the years go by, the ninth day of September suddenly returns. Nine is the yang number, and the sun and the moon correspond to each other. The common people praise its name because it is suitable and long-lasting. Therefore, it has gradually become a folk custom for women to tie dogwood bags on their arms.
?The Sixth Traditional Custom of the Double Ninth Festival: Autumn Sunshine?
"Autumn Sunshine" is a typical agricultural custom with strong regional characteristics. Some places also enter the peak season of autumn sunbathing every year during the Double Ninth Festival, and hold grand traditional customs of autumn sunbathing festival.
Double Ninth Festival is the best time to enjoy autumn. There are still some mountainous villages in southern China that retain the characteristics of "sun-in autumn". "Autumn sun drying" is a typical agricultural custom. Villagers in mountainous areas, due to the complex terrain and very little flat land in the village, have to use the front and back of the house and the windowsill and roof of their own homes to dry or hang their crops.
For people living in mountainous areas, the terrain here is very complex. Even in the villages where everyone depends for survival, there is very little flat land. To dry crops, you can only make full use of the front and back of the house. , or the window sill, roof, etc. of your own home. Over time, a very traditional agricultural custom has naturally formed. Generally speaking, the Double Ninth Festival refers to the special life scene and way in which villagers dry their crops. Later, with the works of photographers and painters, sunbathing in autumn became a rich source of materials for them. They also gave this agricultural custom a poetic name, that is, sunbathing in autumn.
However, it needs to be reminded that drying in autumn does not refer to autumn, but to the harvest of fruits and crops. In fact, the traditional agricultural custom of drying is not unique to autumn. This situation actually exists throughout the year. It's just that autumn is the harvest season, with more types of crops, and the scope and scale of autumn sun-drying are richer and larger, so it attracts more people's attention.
During the historical development and evolution, the Double Ninth Festival has been a mixture of various folk customs, carrying rich cultural connotations. In folk custom, "nine" is the largest number among numbers, which means long and long life. It expresses people's blessings for the elderly's health and longevity.