Again Chong Yang Festival comes!

The "Chong Yang Festival" is celebrated on the ninth day of the
ninth lunar month, and it is as such known as the Double Ninth Festival.

The 9th day of the 9th lunar month is the traditional Chongyang
Festival, also called the Double Ninth Festival. It usually falls in October in the
Gregorian calendar. In an ancient and mysterious book Yi Jing, or The
Book of Changes, number "6" was thought to be of Yin character, meaning
feminine or negative, while number "9" was thought to be Yang, meaning
masculine or positive. So the number nine in both month and day create
the Double Ninth Festival, or Chongyang Festival. Chong in Chinese
means "double." Also, as double ninth was pronounced the same as the
word to signify "forever", both are "Jiu Jiu," the Chinese ancestors
considered it an auspicious day worth celebration. That's why ancient
Chinese began to celebrate this festival long time ago.

The custom of ascending a height to avoid epidemics was passed down
from long time ago. Therefore, the Double Ninth Festival is also called
"Height Ascending Festival". The height people will reach is usually a
mountain or a tower. Ancient literary figures have left many poems
depicting the activity. Even today, people still swarm to famous or
little known mountains on this day.

On this day, people will eat Double Ninth Gao (or Cake). In Chinese,
gao (cake) has the same pronunciation with gao (height). People do so
just to hope progress in everything they are engaged in. There is no
fixed ways for the Double Ninth Cake, but super cakes will have as many
as nine layers, looking like a tower.

The Double Ninth Festival is also a time when chrysanthemum blooms.
China boasts diversified species of chrysanthemum and people have loved
them since ancient times. 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 evilness.

In 1989, the Chinese government decided the Double Ninth Festival as
Seniors' Day. Since then, all government units, organizations and
streets communities will organize an autumn trip each year for those
who have retired from their posts. At the waterside or on the
mountains, the seniors will find themselves merged into nature. Younger
generations will bring elder ones to suburban areas or send gifts to
them on this day.