The legends, customs and origins of the Double Ninth Festival

The Double Ninth Festival, also known as "Autumn Festival", falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month every year and is one of the four traditional ancestor worship festivals in China. The Double Ninth Festival has been formed as early as the Warring States Period. In the Tang Dynasty, the Double Ninth Festival was officially designated as a folk festival, and has been followed by all dynasties ever since. Both the Double Ninth Festival and the "Spring Outing" on the third day of March are all family gatherings. On the Double Ninth Festival, all relatives will climb up together to "avoid disasters", plant dogwoods and enjoy chrysanthemums.

Origin of the festival

Part one

Double Ninth Festival

The origin of Double Ninth Festival can be traced back to before the pre-Qin Dynasty. "Ji Qiu Ji" in "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals" records: "(In September), order the family steward to prepare for the harvest, and give five important points. The emperor's books are collected in the Shencang, and they must be respected and ordered." "This is the day. Also, the Great Food Emperor sacrificed something and reported it to the Emperor." It can be seen that at that time, there were activities to offer sacrifices to the Emperor of Heaven and ancestors during the harvest season in autumn and September to thank the Emperor of Heaven and ancestors for their kindness. [1]

In the Han Dynasty, "Xijing Miscellaneous Notes" records that Jia Peilan, a palace official in the Western Han Dynasty, said: "On September 9th, wearing dogwood, eating bait, and drinking chrysanthemum wine, it is said that people will live longer." According to legend, from this time on, the custom of praying for longevity on the Double Ninth Festival began. This was influenced by the ancient wizards (later Taoist priests) who pursued immortality and collected medicines to take them. At the same time, there are also large-scale banquet activities, which developed from the banquets held to celebrate the harvest in the pre-Qin Dynasty. "Records of the Years of Jingchu" says: "On September 9th, all the people gathered together for a picnic." Du Gongzhan of the Sui Dynasty noted: "It is unknown when the banquet on September 9th began, but it lasted from the end of the Song Dynasty to the end of the Song Dynasty. "Change." Seeking longevity and feasting form the basis of the Double Ninth Festival. [1]

Second

One of the prototypes of the Double Ninth Festival is the ancient ritual of sacrificing fire. [1]

The "Big Fire" star, which is the symbol of the ancient seasonal constellations, retreated in the ninth month of autumn. "Xia Xiaozheng" called it "September Fire". The ancient people who marked seasonal production and seasonal life with the big Mars lost the coordinates of time. At the same time, it caused inexplicable fear in the ancient people who regarded fire as a god. The dormancy of the god of fire meant the arrival of the long winter. Therefore, in the "inner fire" According to the season, just as there is a fire ceremony when it appears, people must hold corresponding farewell ceremonies. Although the circumstances of ancient sacrificial rituals are elusive, some traces of ancient customs can still be found in the Double Ninth Festival rituals of later generations. For example, some areas in the south of the Yangtze River have the custom of worshiping stoves on the Double Ninth Festival, which is the household fire god. This shows the clues of ancient September sacrifices to "fire". The ancients always regarded Double Ninth Festival and Shangsi or Hanshi, September 9th and March 3rd as corresponding Spring and Autumn Festivals. "Miscellaneous Notes on Xijing" written by Liu Xin of the Han Dynasty said: "On the Shangsi Festival in March and the Double Ninth Festival in September, the maids played games to drive away the evil spirits and climb high." The correspondence between Shangsi, Hanshi and the Double Ninth Festival is based on the occurrence of "big fire". [1]

With the advancement of people's livelihood technology, people have a new understanding of time, and the "fire calendar" gave way to the general calendar. The ritual of worshiping fire in September has declined, but people still have a special feeling for the natural changes in physical conditions caused by the decline of Yang Qi in September. Therefore, the ancient custom of climbing high and avoiding taboos is still spread throughout the city, although the world has new explanations. [2]

The Double Ninth Festival has become a time landmark for the handover of summer and winter in people’s lives. If Shangsi and Hanshi are Spring Festivals when people go out for a swim after spending the long winter, then Double Ninth Festival is about a ceremonial autumn outing when the autumn cold arrives and people are about to live in seclusion. green". The Double Ninth Festival customs revolve around people's feelings about this season. [1]

2 Historical evolution

The Double Ninth Festival has a history of more than 2,000 years. The origin of the Double Ninth Festival can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. In Qu Yuan's poem "Yuanyou", there is the line "Gathering on the Double Ninth Festival to enter the imperial official's office". During the Warring States Period, people took the Double Ninth Festival seriously, but it was only an activity carried out in the imperial palace.

In the Han Dynasty, the custom of celebrating the Double Ninth Festival gradually became popular. According to legend, Madam Qi, the concubine of Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, was murdered by Empress Lu. Her former maid, Jia, was expelled from the palace and married to a poor man. Jia brought the Double Ninth Festival activities to the people. Jia told people: In the palace, on the ninth day of September every year, one must wear dogwood, eat canopy bait, and drink chrysanthemum wine in order to seek longevity. From then on, the custom of Double Ninth Festival spread among the people.

The name "Double Ninth Festival" was first recorded in the Three Kingdoms era. According to Cao Pi's "The Book of Nine Days and Zhong Yao": "As the years pass by, the ninth day of the ninth month suddenly returns. Nine is the number of Yang, and the sun and the moon correspond to each other. The common people praise its name, thinking that it is suitable for a long time, so it can be enjoyed for a long time. "Have a high banquet."[3]

Tao Yuanming, a scholar of the Jin Dynasty, said in the preface of the poem "Nine Days of Leisure": "I love the name of Jiu when I am idle, and I hold the wine in my hands." , serve Jiuhua in the air, and place your heart in words." Both chrysanthemums and wine are mentioned here. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there was a custom of appreciating chrysanthemums and drinking wine. [3]

During the Tang Dynasty, the Double Ninth Festival was designated as an official holiday. From then on, the court and the people celebrated the Double Ninth Festival together and carried out various activities during the festival.

In the Song Dynasty, the Double Ninth Festival was even more lively. "Tokyo Menghua Lu" recorded the grand occasion of the Double Ninth Festival in the Northern Song Dynasty at that time. "Old Wulin Events" also records that the Southern Song Dynasty court "made nine arrangements on the eighth day" in anticipation of a grand entertainment the next day. In the Ming Dynasty, eunuchs and concubines in the palace began to eat flower cakes from the first day of the new year. On the ninth day of the Double Ninth Festival, the emperor would personally go to Long Live Mountain to enjoy the sights.

In the Ming Dynasty, on the Double Ninth Festival in September, everyone in the palace would eat flower cakes together to celebrate, and the emperor would personally go to the Long Live Mountain to climb up to clear his autumn aspirations. [3]

The customs of the Qing Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty were still prevalent.

Since the 1980s, some places in China have designated the ninth day of the ninth lunar month as the Elderly Day, advocating that the whole society establish a culture of respecting, respecting, loving and helping the elderly. In 1989, the Chinese government designated this day as "Old Man's Day" and "Respect for the Aged Day" every year. [4]

On December 28, 2012, the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress voted to adopt the newly revised Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of the Elderly. The law clearly states that the ninth day of the ninth lunar month every year is the Senior Citizens' Day. [5]

3 Folk Customs

Folk Custom Activities

Double Ninth Festival Climbing [6]

The Double Ninth Festival is a mixture of various folk customs. It is a traditional festival of the Han nationality. Celebrating the Double Ninth Festival generally includes activities such as traveling to enjoy the scenery, climbing high to overlook, viewing chrysanthemums, planting dogwood trees, eating Double Ninth cakes, and drinking chrysanthemum wine. [3]

Climbing high

Double Ninth Festival first has the custom of climbing high. In the golden autumn of September, the sky is high and the air is crisp. Climbing high in this season can achieve the purpose of feeling relaxed and happy, keeping fit and curing diseases.

As early as the Western Han Dynasty, "Chang'an Chronicle" contains records of people visiting the capital on September 9th in the Han Dynasty. In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, there was the famous story of "hat falling off Longshan". [7]

Eat Double Ninth Cake

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 put a piece of cake on their children's foreheads and muttered something, wishing their children all the best. 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 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 replacing "climbing high" with "lighting up lamps" and "eating cakes", and replacing dogwood with small red paper flags. Today, there is still no fixed variety of Double Ninth Cake. The soft cakes eaten on the Double Ninth Festival in various places are called Double Ninth Cake. [3]

Appreciating chrysanthemums

Appreciating chrysanthemums, drinking and playing chess on the Double Ninth Festival

On the Double Ninth Festival, there has always been a custom of appreciating chrysanthemums, so it was also called the Chrysanthemum Festival in ancient times. . The ninth month of the lunar calendar is commonly known as the chrysanthemum month. A chrysanthemum conference is held during the festival, and crowds of people attend the festival to appreciate the chrysanthemums. Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties in the Three Kingdoms, it has become fashionable to gather for drinking, appreciating chrysanthemums and composing poems on the Double Ninth Festival. In ancient Han customs, chrysanthemums symbolize longevity.

Drinking chrysanthemum wine

During the Double Ninth Festival, China has the traditional custom of drinking chrysanthemum wine. Chrysanthemum wine was regarded as an "auspicious wine" that must be drunk during the Double Ninth Festival in ancient times to ward off disasters and pray for blessings.

Chrysanthemum wine has been around since the Han Dynasty. During the Wei Dynasty, Cao Pi once presented chrysanthemums to Zhong Yao on the Double Ninth Festival to wish him longevity. Ge Hong of the Jin Dynasty recorded in "Baopuzi" that people in the mountains of Nanyang, Henan, lived longer because they drank the water from the sweet valley full of chrysanthemums. In the "Chrysanthemum Picking Chapter" written by Emperor Wen of the Liang Dynasty, there is a sentence: "We call each other and carry baskets to pick chrysanthemum beads. When the dew comes in the morning, we will be wet and wet." This is also the practice of picking chrysanthemums to make wine. Until the Ming and Qing Dynasties, chrysanthemum wine was still popular. It was still recorded in Gao Lian's "Eight Notes of Zunsheng" in the Ming Dynasty. It was a popular fitness drink.

Putting dogwoods

In ancient times, the custom of wearing dogwoods was also popular, so it is also called the Dogwood Festival. Cornus officinalis is used as medicine and can be used to make wine to nourish the body and cure diseases. Planting dogwood and hairpin chrysanthemums has been very common in the Tang Dynasty. Cornus officinalis has a strong fragrance and has the functions of repelling insects, removing dampness, and driving away wind evil. It can also eliminate accumulated food and treat cold and heat. Folks believe that the ninth day of September is also a day of misfortune and disaster, so people like to wear dogwood on the Double Ninth Festival to ward off evil and seek good luck. Therefore, Cornus officinalis is also known as the "evil warder". [8]

Customs in various places

Domestic

Hebei Province: Xianghe County On September 9th, families related by marriage will give each other gifts, which is called "chasing." Festival". Yongping Prefecture uses the weather of the Double Ninth Festival to predict whether it will be sunny or rainy in the future. If it rains on the Double Ninth Festival, it will also rain on these days. There are no mountains in Dianzhou County, so more people in the county climb the tower during the Double Ninth Festival. [9]

Shandong Province: People in the northern part of Changyi eat spicy radish soup on the Double Ninth Festival. There is a proverb: "If you drink radish soup, the whole family will not suffer." Folks in Juancheng call the Double Ninth Festival the birthday of the God of Wealth, and every family bakes coke cakes to worship the God of Wealth. Zouping worshiped Fan Zhongyan on the Double Ninth Festival. In the old days, dyehouses and wineries also worshiped the vat god on September 9th. Daughters in Tengzhou who have been married for less than three years are not allowed to go back to their parents' homes to celebrate the festival. There is a saying that "if you go home to celebrate the Double Ninth Festival, your mother-in-law will die." [9]

Shaanxi Province: During the Double Ninth Festival in Xixiang County, relatives and friends give gifts of chrysanthemums and chrysanthemum cakes. Scholars rewarded each other with poems and wine. It is said that women can cure heartache by picking dogwood by mouth on this day.

Jiangsu Province: During the Double Ninth Festival, people in Nanjing cut five-color paper into a bevel shape, connect it to form a flag, and place it in the courtyard. Cheung Chau County eats a kind of pasta called "Camel's Hoof" during the Double Ninth Festival. Wuxi County eats Double Ninth Cake and Jiupin Soup during the Double Ninth Festival. [9]

Shanghai: Shanghai Yuyuan holds a chrysanthemum party during the Double Ninth Festival, with scores based on novelty, nobility, and rarity. [9]

Zhejiang Province: Shaoxing Prefecture visits each other during the Double Ninth Festival. Unless there is a funeral in the family of a relative or friend, they will cry in front of the soul and pay homage. In Tonglu County, pigs and sheep are prepared for ancestors on September 9th, which is called the Autumn Festival. At the same time, they also tie rice dumplings on the Double Ninth Festival and give each other gifts, which is called Double Ninth Festival rice dumplings. [9]

Jiangxi Province: Guangfeng County harvests rice cakes on September 9th, and Dexing County harvests late rice on September 9th. [9]

Anhui Province: Tongling County holds the Dragon Candle Festival on the Double Ninth Festival to welcome the mountain god. It is said that cutting bamboo horses for fun can drive away the plague. [9]

Hubei Province: Wuchang County makes wine on the Double Ninth Festival. It is said that the wine brewed here is the clearest and will not spoil after being stored for a long time. The Double Ninth Festival in Yingcheng County is a day to fulfill vows. On this day, every family worships the god of Fangshe Tianzu.

[9]

Fujian Province: Farmers in Changting County give gifts of edamame from their fields, which is called the edamame festival. Flying kites on the Double Ninth Festival in Haicheng County is a show called "Fengcha". [9]

Guangdong Province: On the Double Ninth Festival in Lianchuan, boys and girls gathered outside the city to sing songs, and people from the state gathered around to watch. On September 9th, Nanxiong Mansion invited Taoist priests from Maoshan to establish the Queen Mother Association. Young women who want to have children will come to participate. On the Double Ninth Festival in Yangjiang City, paper kites are released and rattan bows are tied to them. The sound is very loud in mid-air. The people of Lingao County got up early on the Double Ninth Festival and shouted "Catch the Bobcats" in unison, taking this as a good omen for peace, prosperity and prosperity. [9]

Guangxi Province: Huaiji County regards the Double Ninth Festival as the day when Emperor Yuan attained enlightenment. Men, women, old and young, all came out to compete with the gods to fulfill their wishes, all using cannons. In Long'an County, cattle and sheep are allowed to forage on their own on September 9th. As the saying goes: "On September 9th, cattle and sheep keep their own guard." [9]

Sichuan Province: In the old days, scholars in Nanxi County gathered at Cen Shan Tower in Longteng Mountain on this day to commemorate the poet Cen Shen, which was called the "Cen Guild". According to the old folk custom, glutinous rice should be steamed to make wine before and after the Double Ninth Festival. As the saying goes: "Wine steamed during the Double Ninth Festival is sweet and delicious." [9]

Shanxi Province: The Jinnan area of ??Shanxi Province has had the traditional habit of climbing on September 9 since ancient times. Enjoying the view of the great rivers and mountains and admiring the scenic spots and historic sites has become a grand event of the festival. To this day, famous sayings such as "The universe is about to open up and we can climb high together", "The east wind cannot hold back, we are slowly rising to the top", "September welcomes the new sky, and agriculture, rural areas and farmers celebrate autumn" are still recited among the people. [9]

Henan Province: China's Kaifeng Chrysanthemum Flower Fair was founded in 1983. Kaifeng is the only city that holds an annual chrysanthemum meeting. [9]

Overseas

Korea: Eat fried rice, cauliflower, play fried rice games, and fly kites.

Japan: Eat eggplants and chestnut rice to worship chrysanthemums.

4 Literary Descriptions

Myths and Legends

Chongyang Poems (5 photos)

According to "Xu Qixie Ji"

The earlier legend about the Double Ninth Festival can be found in "Xu Qi Xie Ji" written by Wu Jun of the Liang Dynasty:

Huan Jing of Runan followed Fei Changfang to study for many years, and the Changfang said: "Nine On the ninth day of the lunar month, there will be a disaster in your family. You should go quickly and have your family members make red bags, hold dogwood in them, tie them to their arms, and climb up to drink chrysanthemum wine. This disaster can be eliminated. "Jing Ruyan said, and the whole family climbed the mountain. Returning in the evening, I saw chickens, dogs, cattle and sheep suddenly dying suddenly. The head of the house heard it and said: "This can be replaced." In today's world, people climb high to drink for nine days, and women carry dogwood bags. This is where the lid begins. [10]

Folk evolution version

According to legend, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a plague demon in Ruhe River. Whenever it appeared, people would fall ill in every family and people would die every day. People in this area The people were ravaged by the plague. A plague took away the parents of young Huan Jing, and he himself almost died due to illness. After recovering from the illness, he bid farewell to his beloved wife and fellow villagers, and decided to go out to visit immortals and learn skills in order to get rid of the plague for the people. Huan Jing visited teachers everywhere to find the way, and visited famous mountain masters all over the country. Finally, he found out that there is one of the oldest mountains in the east, and there is an immortal leader with boundless power on the mountain. Huan Jing was not afraid of the dangers and the distance of the journey, and under the guidance of the crane , finally found the high mountain and the immortal with magical power. The immortal was moved by his spirit and finally took Huan Jing in, taught him the swordsmanship of subduing demons, and gave him a demon-subduing sword. Huan Jing practiced hard, forgetting food and sleep, and finally developed extraordinary martial arts. [11]

On this day, the Heavenly Immortal called Huan Jing to him and said: "Tomorrow is the ninth day of September, and the plague demon will come out to do evil again. You have learned your skills, and you should go back to eliminate harm for the people." . The immortal gave him a pack of dogwood leaves and a cup of chrysanthemum wine, and secretly taught him how to ward off evil spirits, and asked him to ride a crane and ride home. [11]

Huan Jing returned to his hometown. On the morning of the ninth day of September, he led the villagers to a nearby mountain as instructed by the immortal and gave each of them a piece of dogwood leaf and a cup of chrysanthemum wine. , ready to conquer the devil. At noon, with several strange screams, the plague demon rushed out of the Ru River. However, as soon as the plague demon rushed to the foot of the mountain, he suddenly smelled the scent of dogwood and chrysanthemum wine, and stopped suddenly. His face suddenly changed. At this time, Huan Jing held a bow The Demonic Sword chased down the mountain, and stabbed the Wenmo to death in a few rounds. From then on, the custom of climbing high to avoid epidemics on the ninth day of September has been passed down year after year. [11]

Later, people regarded the custom of climbing on the Double Ninth Festival as an activity to avoid disasters. [11]

Famous poems

The Double Ninth Festival has the same pronunciation as "Jiujiu", and nine is the largest number, which means longevity, and autumn is also a year. The golden harvest season, the Double Ninth Festival, has far-reaching meaning. People have always had special feelings for this festival. There are many excellent poems in the past dynasties that celebrate the Double Ninth Festival and sing about chrysanthemums.

[3]