The origin of the Double Ninth Festival can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Qu Yuan's Journey wrote: "Set Chongyang into the Emperor's Palace and see the capital of Qing Dynasty ten days later." The "Double Ninth Festival" here refers to the sky, not just festivals. In the Han Dynasty, the custom of celebrating the Double Ninth Festival gradually became popular. According to legend, Lady Qi, the concubine of Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, was killed, and Jia Shi, the maid in front of her, was expelled from the palace and married the poor. Jia brought the activities of Chongyang to the people. Jia told people: in the palace, on the ninth day of September every year, we should wear dogwood, eat tent bait and drink chrysanthemum wine in order to live longer. Since then, the custom of the Double Ninth Festival has spread among the people.
In ancient times, people had the custom of climbing mountains on this day, so the Double Ninth Festival was also called "Mountain Climbing Festival". According to legend, this custom began in the Eastern Han Dynasty. There are many climbing poems in the Tang Dynasty, most of which are the custom of writing the Double Ninth Festival. Du Fu's Seven Laws "Ascending the Mountain" is a famous article about climbing the mountain in Chongyang. There is no uniform rule for climbing mountains. Generally, we climb mountains and towers. There is also the custom of eating "Chongyang cake". Exquisite Chongyang cake should be made into nine layers, like a pagoda, with two lambs on it, which conforms to the meaning of Chongyang (sheep). Some people even put red paper flags on Chongyang cakes and light candles. This is probably replacing "crawling" with "lighting" and "eating cakes", and replacing Cornus officinalis with a little red paper flag.
The Double Ninth Festival also enjoys chrysanthemums and drinks chrysanthemum wine, which originated from Tao Yuanming. Tao Yuanming is famous for his seclusion, his poems, his wine and his love for chrysanthemums. Later generations have followed suit, so Chongyang has the custom of enjoying chrysanthemums. In the old days, in order to get close to Tao Yuanming, scholar-officials often combined chrysanthemum appreciation with feasting. In the Northern Song Dynasty, Kaifeng was the capital, and chrysanthemum appreciation on Chongyang was very popular. At that time, there were many kinds of chrysanthemums. After the Qing dynasty, the custom of enjoying chrysanthemums was particularly prosperous, and it was not limited to September 9, but it was the most prosperous around the Double Ninth Festival.
The custom of inserting Evodia rutaecarpa in the Double Ninth Festival was very common in the Tang Dynasty. The ancients thought that inserting Evodia rutaecarpa in the Double Ninth Festival could take refuge and eliminate disasters. Or wear it on your arm, or make a sachet and put it in it, or wear it on your head. Most of them are worn by women and children, and in some places, men also wear them. Ge Hong's Miscellanies of the Western Classics in the Jin Dynasty recorded that Kaunus participated in the Double Ninth Festival.
In addition to wearing dogwood, chrysanthemum is also inserted in the Double Ninth Festival. This happened in the Tang Dynasty and has been popular since ancient times. In the Qing Dynasty, the custom of Beijing Double Ninth Festival was to stick chrysanthemum branches and leaves on the doors and windows, "to eliminate evil and filth, and to make money and treasure." This is the vulgarization of the chrysanthemum on the head. In the Song Dynasty, colorful tapestries were also cut into dogwood and chrysanthemum to give to each other.
The custom of Double Ninth Festival in various places
On September 9th in Xianghe County, Hebei Province, families with in-laws will give gifts to each other, which is called "chasing festivals". The sunny and rainy days in Yongping House will be dominated by Chongyang weather. If it rains on the Double Ninth Festival, it will rain these days. Children in qingfeng county play with paper kites on the Double Ninth Festival. There are no mountains in Zhou Dian County, and there are more people climbing the stairs in the county than in the Double Ninth Festival.
People in northern Changba, Shandong Province eat spicy radish soup on the Double Ninth Festival. There is a proverb: "After drinking radish soup, the whole family is not bitter." Juancheng people call the Double Ninth Festival the birthday of the God of Wealth, and every household bakes cakes to offer sacrifices to the God of Wealth. Zou Ping offered a sacrifice to Fan Zhongyan in Chongyang. In the old days, dyehouses and restaurants also offered sacrifices to the gods on September 9th. Tengxian's daughter has been married for less than three years and avoids going back to her parents' home for the holidays. There is a saying that "if you go home to Chongyang, you will kill your mother-in-law."
On the Double Ninth Festival in Xixiang County, Shaanxi Province, relatives and friends presented chrysanthemums and chrysanthemum cakes. Literati appreciate poetry and wine. It is said that on this day, women can learn from the mouth of Cornus officinalis and cure their distress.
On the Double Ninth Festival in Jiangsu, Nanjing people cut the five-color paper into an inclined plane and inserted it into the court as a flag. Eat a kind of pasta called "camel hoof" at the Double Ninth Festival in Changzhou County. The Chrysanthemum Festival held in Shanghai Yuyuan Garden was judged by three grades: novelty, nobility and rarity. Eat Chongyang cake and Jiupin soup at the Double Ninth Festival in Wuxi County.
Visiting each other on the Double Ninth Festival in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, relatives and friends cry and worship the spirits only when there is a funeral. On September 9, Tonglu County prepared pigs and sheep as ancestors, which was called autumn festival. At the same time, zongzi are tied up and given to each other on the Double Ninth Festival, which is called Chongyang Zongzi.
On September 9th, late rice was cut in Dexing County, Mercury Province.
Tongling County, Anhui Province takes the ninth Double Ninth Festival as the Dragon and Candle Festival to welcome the mountain gods. Chopping bamboo and horses for fun is said to drive away the plague.
Wuchang County, Hubei Province, Double Ninth Festival brewing. It is said that the wine brewed here is the clearest and will not go bad after a long time. The Double Ninth Festival in Yingcheng County is a wishing day, and many families worship the God of Fangshe Tianzu on this day.
In Changting County, Fujian Province, the edamame Festival is called the edamame Festival. Flying kites in the Double Ninth Festival in Haicheng County is a game, which is called "Wind Chak".
In Chongyang, Lianchuan, Guangdong, all the boys and girls gathered outside the city to sing songs for the whole state to watch. Nanxiong House invited maoshan taoist to set up the Empress Dowager Club on September 9th, and all young women who want to have children will come to attend. On the Double Ninth Festival in Yangjiang County, a paper kite with a rattan bow is placed, which is very loud in mid-air. People in Lingao County get up early on the Double Ninth Festival, and everyone shouts "Catch Bobcats" in unison, which is a good sign of peace and prosperity.
In Huaiji County, Guangxi, Chongyang is regarded as the enlightenment day of Yuan Di. Men, women and children came out of the city, and they all competed with God with cannons. On September 9th in Longan County, cattle and sheep were allowed to feed on their own. As the saying goes, "on September 9, cattle and sheep will keep their food."
On this day, scholars from Nanxi County, Sichuan Province gathered at Censhan Building in Longteng Mountain to commemorate the poet Cen Can, which was called Cen Guild Hall. According to the old folk custom, glutinous rice should be used to steam wine before and after Chongyang to make mash. As the saying goes, "steamed wine on the Double Ninth Festival is sweet and delicious".
At the same time, there is a legend. According to legend, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Runan people studied under Fei Changfang. One day, Fei Changfang told him: "On the ninth day of September this year, there was a great disaster in your family. You can go home immediately, make some colorful bags, put them in, hang them on your shoulders, climb high, and drink chrysanthemum wine on the mountain, so you can avoid disaster. " Huan Jing listened and did the same. When I came home the next day, my chicken and dog died. In the future, the "Double Ninth Festival" can be a blessing from disasters and spread among the people, becoming a custom.
The "Double Ninth Festival" in Zhejiang Province is in late autumn. The golden breeze is refreshing, the sky is high and the clouds are light, and it is interesting to climb high and look far. In Hangzhou, this morning, many shops selling snacks and cakes have "Chongyang" for sale. The cake is square and diamond, with chestnuts embedded in it and flags cut with red and green paper. Every family buys this as a holiday breakfast.