The origin of Double Ninth Festival

The Double Ninth Festival is the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. In the Book of Changes, "nine" is defined as yang number, and on September 9, the second nine is the most important, so it is called Chongyang, also known as Chongyang. The Double Ninth Festival was formed as early as the Warring States Period. In the Tang Dynasty, the Double Ninth Festival was officially designated as a folk festival, which has been inherited ever since. The Double Ninth Festival on March 3, also known as "stepping in autumn" and "stepping in spring", is a family matter. On this day, all relatives of the Double Ninth Festival will climb the mountain together to "avoid disaster", insert dogwood and enjoy chrysanthemums. Chongyang is one of the traditional festivals sung by scholars in past dynasties. The Double Ninth Festival and the three festivals of "the first day", "the Qing Dynasty" and "Chongqing" are also the four major festivals for ancestor worship in Chinese traditional festivals. 20 12 In June, the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) reviewed the revised draft of the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly for the first time, and designated the ninth day of the ninth lunar month (Double Ninth Festival) as the Day for the Elderly.

catalogue

Basic understanding

Historical origin

Traditional folk custom

Chongyang literature

Make it a festival for the elderly.

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Basic understanding

Festival introduction

Double Ninth Festival, the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, is called "Double Ninth Festival". There are six Yin and nine Yang in the post-Ye Confucian view of Yin and Yang in Hanzhong. Nine is the number of yang, and the real nine is also called "Chongyang". People have the custom of climbing mountains on that day, so the Double Ninth Festival is also called "Mountaineering Festival". There are also sayings such as Double Ninth Festival, Cornus officinalis and Chrysanthemum Festival. Because the homonym of "99" on the ninth day of September is "long" and has a long-term meaning, activities to worship ancestors and respect the elderly are often carried out on this day. The Double Ninth Festival and the three festivals of "the first day", "the Qing Dynasty" and "Chongqing" are also the four major festivals for ancestor worship in Chinese traditional festivals. Only in recent years, people pay more attention to the elderly, so this festival is also called the festival for the elderly.

Name explanation

The ninth day of the ninth lunar month is the traditional Double Ninth Festival. Because in the ancient Book of Changes, "six" was defined as yin number, and "nine" was defined as yang number. On September 9, the sun and the moon combined with yang, and 29 was the most important, so it was called Chongyang, also called Chongyang. The ancients thought it was an auspicious day to celebrate, and this festival was celebrated from a very young age.

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Historical origin

Textual research on origin

First of all:

The origin of Chongyang can be traced back to before the pre-Qin period. "Lu Chunqiu Qiu Ji Ji" says: "In September, the family was ordered to slaughter, and the fields were prepared for harvest, and five important things were listed. The Tibetan emperor's book is collected in the holy warehouse, and I only respect it. " "It's the day, Great Emperor. I'll taste the sacrifice and tell the son of heaven." It can be seen that at that time, when the crops were harvested in autumn and September, there were activities of offering sacrifices to the emperor and ancestors to thank them for their kindness.

Jia, the imperial secretary in Xijing Miscellanies of the Han Dynasty, said: "On September 9, Pei Yun ate the bait and drank chrysanthemum wine, and the clouds made people live longer." According to legend, since then, there has been the custom of seeking longevity on the Double Ninth Festival. This is influenced by the ancient wizards (later Taoist priests) who pursued immortality and collected drugs to take. At the same time, there are also large-scale banquet activities, which developed from the Qingfeng banquet in the pre-Qin period. The Chronicle of Jingchu Age said: "On September 9th, four people got together for a picnic." Duke Du of Sui wrote: "I don't know when the banquet on September 9 started, and it hasn't changed since I was stationed in the Song Dynasty." Longevity and feast form the basis of the Double Ninth Festival. The poem "Tucun Village in Yangfu Mountain and the Banquet for the Elderly" wrote: "Jiujiang Village has lunch, chrysanthemums are served, and birthdays are celebrated. Next year will be healthier than this year, * * * save youth. " The activities such as banquets for the elderly, drinking chrysanthemum wine and wishing health were described.

Second:

One of the prototypes of the Double Ninth Festival is the ancient fire sacrifice ceremony.

As a symbol of ancient seasonal stars, the "September Fire" retired, and it was called "September Fire" in summer. The retirement of Mars not only made the ancients who always regarded Mars as a symbol of seasonal production and seasonal life lose their time coordinates, but also made them feel inexplicable fear. The dormancy of Vulcan means a long winter. Therefore, in the "internal fire" season, although the situation of ancient sacrificial ceremonies is obscure, we can still find some traces of ancient customs from the utensils of the Double Ninth Festival in later generations. For example, in some places in the south of the Yangtze River, there is a custom of offering sacrifices to stoves on Chongyang, which is the fire god at home, thus showing the clues of offering sacrifices to "fire" in ancient September. The ancients regarded Chongyang, Shangsi or cold food, September 9 and March 3 as the corresponding spring and autumn festivals. Liu Hanxin's Miscellaneous Notes on Xijing said: "Go to the third grade in March, play games with girls in September, and then climb the mountain." The correspondence among thinking, cold food and Chongyang is based on the appearance of "fire".

With the progress of people's livelihood science and technology, people have a new understanding of time, and the "fire calendar" has given way to the general calendar. The ritual of sacrificing fire in September declined, but people still have special feelings about the natural climate change caused by the decline of yang in September, so the ancient custom of climbing mountains and avoiding it still spread to cities, although the world has a new explanation.

Chongyang has become a landmark building in people's life after the return of Xia Dong. If thinking and cold food are the Spring Festival when people go out to swim after a long winter, then Chongyang is a ceremonial autumn outing when autumn cold comes and people are about to live in seclusion, so there is thinking "outing" and Chongyang's "farewell". The custom of Double Ninth Festival revolves around people's feelings in this season.

evolutionary process

The Double Ninth Festival has a history of more than two thousand years. The name of "Double Ninth Festival" was recorded in the Three Kingdoms period. According to Cao Pi's "Nine Days and Zhong You Book", it says: "From year to month, September 9 suddenly comes again. Nine is the number of yang, and the sun and the moon coincide. It is well known and considered suitable for a long time, so it is a feast. "

During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there was a custom of enjoying chrysanthemums and drinking alcohol.

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

In the Ming Dynasty, the Double Ninth Festival in September, the palace would celebrate with flower cakes, and the emperor would personally climb the Long Live Mountain to celebrate his autumn ambition.

In the Qing Dynasty, this custom still prevailed.

Since the 1980s, some places in China have designated the ninth day of September in the summer calendar as the festival for the elderly, advocating the whole society to establish an atmosphere of respecting, loving and helping the elderly. 1989, the China government designated this day as "Day for the Elderly" and "Day for Respecting the Elderly".

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Traditional folk custom

Myths and legends

The earlier legend about the Double Ninth Festival can be found in Wu Jun's "Continued Harmony" in the Liang Dynasty: Huanjing in Runan and Fei Changfang traveled together for many years, and Changfang said, "On September 9th, there will be disaster in your home. It is advisable to leave in a hurry and let the family make their own crimson bags, hold dogwood, tie their arms, and climb high to drink chrysanthemum wine. This disaster can be eliminated. " Picturesque scenery, family climbing mountains. The same is true at night, when chickens, dogs, cattle and sheep suddenly die. The eldest room listened: "This can be exchanged." Today, people climb mountains and drink on the 9th, and women take the bag of Cornus officinalis, so the cover begins here.

Later, it developed into several versions of legends among the people, one of which is like this:

According to legend, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a plague demon in Ruhe. As soon as it appeared, people in every household fell ill and died every day, and people in this area were ravaged by plague demons. A plague claimed the lives of young Huan Jing's parents, and he almost died of illness himself. After recovering from his illness, he bid farewell to his beloved wife and his elders and villagers on the Double Ninth Festival, and decided to go out to study in immortals to rid the people of diseases and demons. Huan Jing visited teachers everywhere to find the way, visited celebrities all over the world, and finally found an oldest mountain in the East. There is a magical fairy on the mountain. Under the guidance of the crane, Huan Jing finally found the mountain and the miraculous fairy. The immortal was moved by his spirit, and finally took Huan Jing in, taught him the sword to subdue the demon, and gave him a sword to subdue the demon. Huan Jing forgot to eat and sleep and practiced hard, and finally developed an extraordinary martial arts.

On this day, the immortal called Huan Jing to his side and said, "Tomorrow is the ninth day of September, and the god of plague will come out to do evil again. When you learn the skill, you should go back and kill the people. " Xianchang gave him a pack of dogwood leaves and a cup of chrysanthemum wine, and secretly taught him how to ward off evil spirits and let him ride a crane home.

Huanjing returned to his hometown. On the morning of the ninth day of September, according to the fairy's instructions, he led the villagers to a nearby mountain and gave everyone a dogwood leaf and a cup of chrysanthemum wine to prepare for subduing the evil spirits. At noon, with several strange calls, Mo Wen rushed out of the Ruhe River, but just as Mo Wen jumped down the mountain, he suddenly smelled the strange fragrance of Cornus officinalis and the alcohol smell of Chrysanthemum, and his face suddenly changed. At that time, Huan Jing chased Mo Wen down the mountain with a demon sword in his hand, and stabbed him to death in a few rounds. Since then, the custom of climbing mountains on the ninth day of September to avoid epidemics has been handed down year after year.

Later, people regarded the custom of climbing on the Double Ninth Festival as an activity to avoid disasters. In addition, in the traditional concept of Central Plains people, the Double Ninth Festival still means longevity, health and longevity, so the Double Ninth Festival was later established as 1989 Festival for the elderly. ...

folk-custom activities

Double Ninth Festival is a traditional festival of Han nationality, which combines various folk customs. Celebrating the Double Ninth Festival generally includes traveling to enjoy the scenery, climbing high and looking far, watching chrysanthemums, planting dogwood all over, eating double ninth cake, drinking chrysanthemum wine and other activities. Double Ninth Festival, because it is homophonic with "long", and nine is the largest number in the number, which means long life. Moreover, autumn is also the golden season of harvest in a year, and the Double Ninth Festival has far-reaching influence. People have always had special feelings for this festival. There are many excellent poems in Tang poetry and Song poetry to congratulate the Double Ninth Festival and chant chrysanthemums.

Climb the peak

First of all, there is a custom of climbing mountains on the Double Ninth Festival. Autumn in September, the sky is crisp. In this season, climbing the mountain and overlooking it can achieve the purpose of relaxing body and mind, keeping fit and getting rid of diseases.

Eat Chongyang cake

The custom of eating Chongyang cake is related to mountain climbing. Gaohe cake is homophonic. As a holiday food, it was originally to celebrate the harvest of autumn grain and taste new grain. After that, the people have the auspicious meaning of climbing to eat cakes and climbing step by step. Appreciate the beautiful chrysanthemums

Appreciate the beautiful chrysanthemums

The Double Ninth Festival has always had the custom of enjoying chrysanthemums, so it has been called Chrysanthemum Festival since ancient times. September of the lunar calendar, commonly known as Chrysanthemum Month, holds a chrysanthemum party on holidays, and people from all over the city go to the meeting to enjoy chrysanthemums. Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties in the Three Kingdoms, it has become fashionable for Chongyang parties to drink and enjoy chrysanthemums and recite poems. In the ancient customs of Han nationality, chrysanthemum symbolizes longevity.

Drink chrysanthemum wine

On the Double Ninth Festival, China has the traditional custom of drinking chrysanthemum wine. Chrysanthemum wine, in ancient times, was regarded as the "auspicious wine" that Chongyang must drink to eliminate disasters and pray for blessings.

Chrysanthemum wine existed in the Han Dynasty. In Wei Dynasty, Cao Pi once presented chrysanthemums to Zhong You in Chongyang to wish him a long life. Ge Hong of the Jin Dynasty recorded in Bao Puzi that there was a family in Nanyang Mountain, Henan Province, who lived a long life because of drinking the sweet valley water full of chrysanthemums. In Liang's "Picking Chrysanthemums", there is a saying that "under the east fence of picking chrysanthemums, picking pearls tells each other, and the morning dew is wet", which is also a move of picking chrysanthemums to make wine. Until the Ming and Qing Dynasties, chrysanthemum wine was still very popular, and it was still recorded in Gao Lian's Eight Chapters of Respect for Life in the Ming Dynasty. This is a popular health drink.

Peidogwood

The custom of inserting Evodia rutaecarpa was popular in ancient times, so it is also called Cornus Festival. As a medicine, Cornus officinalis can make wine, strengthen the body and get rid of diseases. Evodia rutaecarpa and chrysanthemum were very common in the Tang Dynasty. Cornus officinalis has a strong aroma, and has the functions of expelling parasites, removing dampness, expelling wind, promoting digestion and resolving food stagnation, and treating cold and heat. People think that September 9 is also a day of disaster, so people like to wear dogwood to ward off evil spirits and seek good luck on the Double Ninth Festival. Therefore, Cornus officinalis is also called "evil spirit". [ 1]

Local custom

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. 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 the north of Changyi, Shandong 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, dyeing houses and wineries also paid homage to the god of tanks on September 9. Tengzhou's daughter, who has been married for less than three years, 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. The Double Ninth Festival in northern Shaanxi is in the evening, and one day is a whole day of harvesting and threshing. In the evening, in the treetops, people like to eat buckwheat noodles and instant-boiled mutton. After dinner, people go out of their homes in twos and threes, climb the nearby hills, light a fire and talk about everything until the cock crows. When climbing mountains at night, many people will pick some wild chrysanthemums and put them on their daughters' heads to ward off evil spirits.

On the Double Ninth Festival, people in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province chiseled the five-color paper into an inclined plane and even decorated it as a flag and inserted it in the court. Eat a kind of pasta called "camel hoof" at the Double Ninth Festival in Changzhou County. Eat Chongyang cake and Jiupin soup at the Double Ninth Festival in Wuxi County.

The Chrysanthemum Festival held in Shanghai Yuyuan Garden was judged by three grades: novelty, nobility and rarity.

Visiting each other on the Double Ninth Festival in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, relatives and friends cry before the spirit when there is a funeral. Tonglu county prepares pigs and sheep to bring their ancestors on September 9, which is 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. In ancient Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, Chongyang had the folk custom of climbing, so the Double Ninth Festival was also called "Climbing Festival". According to legend, this custom began in the Eastern Han Dynasty. There are many climbing poems written by scholars 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. On September 9, Dexing County, Jiangxi Province cut Chongyang cake late rice.

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, brewed wine at the Double Ninth Festival. 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 even every household worships 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". People in Puxian worship ancestors more than Qingming, so there is a saying that it is small in March and big in September. Due to the coastal area of Puxian, the ninth day of September is also the anniversary of Mazu's ascension to heaven. Villagers often go to the Tianhou Palace and the Palace Temple in Mazu Tempel or Meizhou to pray.

In Lianchuan and Chongyang, Guangdong, all the boys and girls gathered outside the city to sing songs for the citizens to watch. Nanxiong 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. A paper kite with a rattan bow tied on it is very loud in midair at the Double Ninth Festival in Yangjiang City. 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 a day of enlightenment for 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."

Scholars in Nanxi County, Sichuan Province are used to gathering at Censhan Building in Longteng Mountain on this day to commemorate the poet Cen Can, which is called Cen 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".

Since ancient times, there has been a traditional habit of climbing mountains on September 9 in Jinnan, Shanxi. Appreciating great rivers and mountains and scenic spots and historic sites has become a major event of the festival. Today, famous sayings such as "Gan Kun will win, and our generation will climb the peak together", "The east wind can't stay, Ran Ran rises from the peak" and "New joy in September, agriculture, countryside and farmers celebrate autumn" are still being recited among the people.

Since 1983, Kaifeng, Henan Province has held a chrysanthemum party in Kaifeng, China every year. Children in qingfeng county play with paper kites on the Double Ninth Festival.

Chongyang hometown

On June 4th, 2005, 65438+February 4th, 2005, the county was named "the hometown of Chongyang culture in China" by China Folk Writers Association. In March 2006, the Chongyang custom in Shangcai was announced by the Henan Provincial People's Government as the first batch of intangible cultural heritage protection list. 2011June was announced by the State Council as the third batch of national intangible cultural heritage [2].