The ninth day of the first month. The ninth day? What festival is this? What are the customs?

In the traditional lunar festival in China, there is actually no formal festival on the ninth day of the first month. However, there are many traditional customs, prayers and celebrations on this day. The following are some folk activities related to this day:

1. Blessing: In many places in China, the ninth day of the first month is considered an auspicious day, especially for those who wish to pray for peace, health and good luck. On this day, many people will go to temples to worship their ancestors and pray for the blessing of God and Buddha.

2. Eliminating cold in September: The ninth day of the first month is generally one of the days with the lowest temperature, so some families worship their ancestors and pray that their ancestors will not be too cold in winter and feel warm. In some places, there is a custom of throwing water to send cold.

3. Eat jiaozi: In some places, on the ninth day of the first month, we will eat jiaozi or a sumptuous reunion dinner, which symbolizes the harmony of reunion and family life, and also symbolizes "money" ("jiaozi" and "money" are homonyms).

4. Pretending to be a gatekeeper: In some places, the ninth day of the first month is also the day to pretend to be a gatekeeper. As a patron saint, door gods are considered to be able to protect family security and prevent evil spirits from invading.

5. No country for nine: In some places, there are customs of "No country for nine", such as dragging nine, touching nine palaces and jumping nine palaces, which have also become one of the traditional activities of local people.

In short, although the ninth day of the first month is not an official holiday, it is widely used in the traditional culture and folk customs of China. On this special day, people can worship their ancestors, communicate with each other inside and outside, and express their concern and blessing for their families and society.