The origin and customs of the Chongyang Festival in China

The origin and customs of the Chongyang Festival in China are as follows:

One, the origin of the Chongyang Festival

September 9 of the lunar calendar is the traditional festival of the Chinese nation, the Chongyang Festival, which is also known as the Festival of the Elderly. ". Because the "I Ching" in the "six" as the number of Yin, the "nine" as the number of Yang, September 9, the sun and the moon and Yang, the two nine heavy, so it is called Chung Yeung, also known as Chung Kau. Ancient people thought it was an auspicious day to celebrate, and from a very early stage of this festival.

Second, customs

1, climbing

In ancient times, folk in the Chung Yeung has the custom of climbing, so the Chung Yeung Festival is also known as the "Festival of climbing". Legend has it that this custom began in the Eastern Han Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, there were many poems written by literati, most of which were about the customs of the Chongyang Festival; Du Fu's "Ascending to the Heights" is a famous piece of writing about ascending to the heights of the Chongyang Festival. There is no standardized rule on the place of ascending to the heights, but it is generally to climb high mountains and towers. There is also the custom of eating "Chongyang cake".

2, eat Chung Yeung cake

According to historical records, Chung Yeung cake, also known as flower cake, chrysanthemum cake, five-color cake, the system is not fixed, more random. September 9 when the sky is bright, with a piece of cake on the forehead of the children, the mouth read the words, wishing the children all things high, is the ancient people in September for the cake's original intention. The delicate Chongyang cake should be made into nine layers, like a pagoda, the top also made two sheep, in line with the meaning of Chongyang (sheep).

Some also inserted a small red paper flag on the cake, and light candles. This is probably the meaning of "light", "eat cake" instead of "high", with a small red paper flag instead of cornelian cherry. Today's Chongyang cake, there is still no fixed varieties, all over the fluffy cakes eaten at the Chongyang Festival are called Chongyang cake. Qu Yuan's "far travel" wrote: "set Chongyang into the emperor's palace Ruoxi, making the beginning of ten days and watch the Qingdu". The word "Chongyang" here refers to the day, not yet to the festival. Cao Pi, the Emperor of Wei during the Three Kingdoms period, in his "Book of the Ninth Day and Zhong Yao", clearly wrote about the Chongyang feast: "The years go by and the months come and go, and suddenly it is the ninth day of the ninth month. Nine is the number of yang, and the sun and the moon should also be, the common people commend its name, think it is suitable for a long time, so to enjoy the banquet high meeting."

Tao Yuanming, a literati of the Jin Dynasty, said in the preface to the poem "Nine Days of Idleness": "I live in idleness, love the name of the ninth. Autumn chrysanthemums fill the garden, while holding the mash by and by, empty clothing nine Chinese, sends the mind to the words." Here both chrysanthemum and wine are mentioned. Probably in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Chongyang Day has been the practice of drinking wine, chrysanthemum appreciation. In the Tang Dynasty, Chongyang was officially designated as a folk festival. To the Ming Dynasty, the September Chung Yeung, the palace up and down to eat flower cakes together to celebrate, the emperor to personally go to Mount Banzai to climb high, in order to smooth the autumn Zhi, this custom has been passed down to the Qing Dynasty.