The origin of the Old People's Day?

The Double Ninth Festival

The Double Ninth Festival (the Double Ninth Festival)

The Double Ninth Festival Introduction

The 9th day of the 9th month of the Chinese lunar calendar is the traditional Double Ninth Festival. Because the ancient "I Ching" in the "six" as the number of yin, the "nine" as the number of yang, the ninth day of September, the sun and the moon and yang, the two nine overlap, so it is called Chongyang, also known as the heavy nine, the ancients believe that it is a worthy of celebrating the auspicious day, and from early on began to celebrate the festival.

Celebrating the anniversary of the birth of a child.

Celebrating the Chrysanthemum Festival is a colorful and romantic event, which generally includes activities such as going out to enjoy the scenery, climbing up to a high altitude, viewing chrysanthemums, inserting dogwoods all over the place, eating Chrysanthemum cakes, drinking chrysanthemum wine, etc. The festival is also known as the "Chrysanthemum Festival".

JiuJiu Chongyang, because and "long time" homophonic, nine in the number is the largest number, there is a long long life meaning, and autumn is also the golden season of the year's harvest, Chongyang Festival, far-reaching significance, people have always had a special feeling for this festival, Tang poetry and Song Dynasty has a lot of congratulations on the Chongyang, chrysanthemums in the poetry of the masterpieces.

Today's Chrysanthemum Festival, was given a new meaning, in 1989, China's September 9 every year as the Elderly Day, the traditional and modern ingenious combination of respect for the elderly, respect for the elderly, love for the elderly, to help the elderly of the festival. The country's institutions, groups, streets, often at this time to organize from the work of the old people retired from the autumn tour to enjoy the scenery, or the water for fun, or mountaineering fitness, so that the body and mind are bathed in the embrace of nature; a lot of families of the younger generation will also be assisting the elderly elders to the countryside activities or for the old people to prepare some tasty food and drink.

Origin of the Chongyang Festival

The 9th day of the 9th moon, as early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period of the "Chu words" has been mentioned. In Qu Yuan's "Faraway Journey", he wrote: "Setting up the Chongyang into the Emperor's Palace, creating the first ten days of the year and observing 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. By the Tang Dynasty Chongyang was officially designated as a folk festival.

During the Ming Dynasty, on the 9th day of the 9th month, the whole palace had to eat flower cakes together to celebrate the occasion, and the emperor had to climb to Mount Banzai in person in order to enjoy the autumn spirit, a custom that was passed down until the Qing Dynasty.

The legend of Chongyang Festival

Like most traditional festivals, Chongyang Festival also has an ancient legend.

Legend has it that during the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a plague demon in the River Ru, and whenever it appeared, people fell ill in every house and died every day, and the people in the area suffered from the plague demon's ravages.

A plague claimed the parents of a young man, Hengjing, and he himself was nearly killed by the disease. After recovering from the disease, he left his beloved wife and his folks, and resolved to go out and visit the immortals to learn the art of ridding the people of the plague. Hengjing went around to visit the famous masters and masters, and finally found out that there is the oldest mountain in the east, and there is an immortal with infinite magic power on the mountain. Hengjing, undaunted by the difficulties and dangers and the long distance, was guided by the crane, and finally found the mountain, and the immortal with the magical magic power. Hengjing was touched by his spirit and finally took him in and taught him the art of demon-slaying. Hengjing was able to practice hard and sleeplessly, and finally developed an extraordinary martial arts skill.

This day, the fairy chief called Hengjing to him and said, "Tomorrow is the ninth day of the ninth month, the plague demon will come out to do evil again, you have learned your skill, you should go back to do away with the evil for the people". He gave Hengjing a packet of cornelian cherry leaves and a cup of chrysanthemum wine, and taught Hengjing how to avoid the evil spirits, so that Hengjing could ride a crane and hurry back home.

Hengjing returned to his hometown, and on the morning of the ninth day of the ninth month, he led the townspeople to a nearby mountain according to the immortal chief's instructions, and gave each of them a piece of cornelian cherry leaf, a cup of chrysanthemum wine, and made preparations to subdue the evil spirits. At noon, with a few screams, the plague of the devil rushed out of the Ru River, but the plague of the devil just jumped to the bottom of the mountain, suddenly smelled a burst of cornelian cherry and chrysanthemum wine, will stop, face suddenly changed, then Hengjing holding demon sword chased down the mountain, a few rounds on the Wen demon stabbed to death under the sword, from the first nine days of September to climb up to the custom of avoiding the epidemic year after year passed down. Wu Jun, a native of Liang, wrote about this in his book Qi Harmony Records.

The custom of ascending the heights on the Chongyang Festival was later regarded as an activity to avoid disasters and calamities. In addition, in the traditional concept of the Central Plains people, the double-nine is also the meaning of long life, health and longevity, so later the Chongyang Festival was established as the festival of the elderly.

Customs of Chrysanthemum Festival

Golden Autumn sends a refreshing fragrance, Dan Gui, the Chrysanthemum Festival on the first nine days of September in the lunar calendar, rich in activities, full of interest, there are to climb, chrysanthemum, drink chrysanthemum wine, eat cake, dogwood, and so on.

Denggao

In ancient times, folk in the Chung Yeung has the custom of ascending the heights, so the Chung Yeung Festival is also known as the "Festival of Ascending Heights". It is rumored 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 seven rhymes, "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 where to go, but generally it is to climb high mountains and towers. There is also the custom of eating "Chrysanthemum Cake".

Eating Chrysanthemum Cake

According to historical records, the Chrysanthemum Cake is also known as the flower cake, chrysanthemum cake, five-color cake, the system is not fixed, more random. September 9 when the sky is bright, to piece of cake on the forehead of the children, the mouth read the words, wishing the children all things are high, is the ancient people in September for the cake's original intention. The delicate Chongyang cake to be made into nine layers, like a pagoda, the top is also made into two small 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 "light", "eat cake" instead of "high" meaning, with a small red paper flag instead of cornelian cherry. Today's Chongyang cake, there is still no fixed varieties, all over the Chongyang Festival to eat the fluffy cakes are called Chongyang cake.

Appreciating chrysanthemums and drinking chrysanthemum wine

The Chrysanthemum Festival is the time of the year when chrysanthemums are in full bloom, and it is rumored that the practice of enjoying chrysanthemums and drinking chrysanthemum wine originated with Tao Yuanming, a great poet of the Jin Dynasty. Tao Yuanming was famous for living in seclusion, famous for poetry, famous for wine, and famous for his love of chrysanthemums; later generations followed his example, and the custom of chrysanthemum-appreciation on Chrysanthemum Day came into being. In the old days, the literati combined chrysanthemum-appreciation with banquets and drinks in order to get closer to Tao Yuanming. In Kaifeng, the capital of Northern Song Dynasty, the chrysanthemum-appreciation style was prevalent, and there were many varieties of chrysanthemums with a variety of shapes and sizes. Folk also called the ninth month of the lunar calendar "the month of chrysanthemums", and in the Chrysanthemum Festival where chrysanthemums blossomed in the frost, chrysanthemum-viewing became an important part of the festival. After the Qing Dynasty, chrysanthemum appreciation is especially prosperous, and is not limited to the ninth day of the ninth month, but is still the most prosperous before and after the Chrysanthemum Festival.

Inserting Cornus and Hairpin Chrysanthemums

The custom of inserting Cornus on the Chongyang Festival was already common in the Tang Dynasty. Ancient people believed that inserting cornelian cherry on the day of Chung Yeung Festival could protect against disasters; or wear it on the arm, or make an incense bag to put the cornelian cherry inside and wear it, and also insert it on the head. Mostly women, children wear, some places, men also wear. Chrysanthemum Festival to wear cornelian cherry, in the Jin Dynasty Ge Hong "Western Scripture Miscellany" has been recorded. In addition to wearing dogwood, people also wear chrysanthemums on their heads. This was already the case in the Tang Dynasty and has been practiced throughout the ages. In the Qing Dynasty, the custom of the Chongyang Festival in Beijing was to put chrysanthemum branches and leaves on doors and windows to "lift up the evils and attract good luck". This is a variation of the head hairpin chrysanthemum. Song Dynasty, there will be colorful silk cut into cornelian cherry, chrysanthemum to give each other to wear.

Customs of Chung Yeung Festival

In addition to the above more common customs, there are also some unique forms of festivals around. Grain ah, surimi ah, on ah on the field". Shaanbei over Chongyang in the evening, the day is a full day of harvesting, playing field. At night, the moon over the treetops, people love to enjoy buckwheat boiled mutton, to eat dinner, people go out of their homes in twos and threes, climbed the nearby hills, lit a fire, talk about the sky and the earth, to be called by the chickens before going home. Night hiking, many people are picking a few handfuls of wild chrysanthemums, go home and inserted in the daughter's head, in order to avoid the evil spirits.

PuXian in Fujian, people follow the old custom, to steam nine layers of Chongyang rice fruit, China's ancient times have Chongyang "food bait" custom, "bait" that is today's pastries, rice fruit and so on. Song Dynasty "Jade Candle BaoDian" cloud: "nine days of food bait, drink chrysanthemum wine, the time of corn, broomcorn and harvest, in order to stick to the flavor of rice to touch the class to taste the new, and then become a habit. Early Qing Dynasty Putian poet Song Zuqian "Min wine song" said: "I was shocked to hear that the festival is near the Chung Yeung Festival, the delicate hand with a basket to pick up the wild fragrance. Pestle and mortar pounded into a green powder wet, the pearls call Lang taste". In recent times, people have also converted the rice fruit into a very distinctive Jiuzhong Rice Fruit. High-quality late rice with water washing, soaking for 2 hours, drained, mixed with water and ground into a thin pulp, add alum (dissolved in water) mixing, plus red plate sugar (mixed with water boiled into a thick liquid sugar), and then placed in a steamer on the pot, laying on a clean cooking cloth, and then divided into nine, scooped into the rice fruit pulp, steamed for a number of hours that is cooked out of the cage, the surface of the rice fruit smeared with peanut oil. This rice fruit in nine overlapping layers, can be uncovered, cut into diamond angles, four sides of the hierarchy, was translucent body, eaten sweet and soft to the mouth, and does not stick to the teeth, can be called the best gift to honor the elderly Chung Yeung food.

Masses in some places also have the opportunity to take advantage of the Chung Yeung mountaineering, sweeping ancestral tombs, commemorating the ancestors. Putian people to Chongyang ancestor worship than the Qingming for more, so there is a custom to March for the small Qingming, the ninth for the big Qingming said. Due to the Putian coast, the ninth day of the ninth month is also the anniversary of Mazu's ascension to heaven, the townspeople go to the Mazu Temple in Meizhou or the Tin Hau Ancestral Shrine and Palace in the harbor to offer sacrifices and ask for blessings.

After the founding of New China, the Chongyang Festival was enriched with new activities, and in 1989, it was designated as the Day of the Elderly. The first to this day, all over the world to organize the elderly mountaineering autumn excursions, broaden their horizons, exchange of feelings, exercise, and cultivate people to return to nature, love of the country's great mountains and rivers of noble character.

Changyang poetry

Cai Sang Zi Chungyang

Mao Zedong

Life is easy to God is difficult to old, years and years of Chungyang,

this year and Chungyang, the yellow flowers of the battlefield is very fragrant.

Once a year the autumn wind is strong, not like the spring light,

Something like the spring light, the lonesome river sky ten thousand miles of frost.

Memories of Shandong Brothers on September 9

(Tang) Wang Wei

Alone in a foreign land is a foreign guest, and I miss my relatives twice as much at festivals.

It's a good thing that I know where my brothers are climbing up, and that there are fewer dogwoods to be found.

Nine days on Mount Qishan

(Tang) Du Mu

Jianghan Autumn shadow of the geese first flew, and the guest with the pot on the Cuiwei.

It's hard to meet the people of the world and laugh at them, and the chrysanthemums have to be inserted all over their heads.

But I'm not going to be able to get a tincture of Mo?t and Mo?t to pay for the festivities, and I'm not going to be able to climb up and hate the sunshine.

This is the only way in the history of the world, so why should I be alone in Oxford?

September 10th

(Tang) Li Bai

Yesterday, I climbed to the top of the mountain, but today I will raise my goblet again.

The chrysanthemum flower is too bitter to suffer from this double sunrise.

September 9, Xuanwu Mountain travel overlook

(Tang) Lu Zhaolin

September 9, overlook the mountains and rivers, return to the heart to look at the accumulation of wind and smoke.

This is the first time I've ever seen the mountain and the river, and I'm looking forward to the wind and smoke.

Nine Days in Shu

(Tang) Wang Bo

September 9, looking at the township platform, his seat in the countryside to send guests cup.

The people are tired of the pain in the south, and the geese are coming from the north.

September 9th

(Tang) Wang Jin

More than Kyoto, the grass has been withered in August frost.

Today, I climbed up to the top of the mountain and bottled wine, but I don't know if I can have chrysanthemums.

Nine Days

(Tang) Yang Heng

Yellow flowers and purple chrysanthemums fall along the hedges.

It is not easy to look at the countryside today, so I have to insert a cornelian cherry with the crowd.

Binghe nine days of the lucky Linwei Pavilion climbed high to get the word

Wei Anshi

The ninth anniversary of the opening of the autumn festival, to get a move Chen Yi.

The golden wind is blowing the chrysanthemums, and the jade dew is weeping the cornelian cherry branches.

Reviewing the eight vast expanse of the sky, the astronomy of the seven obsidian Phi.

This is the first time I've ever seen a woman in the world who has been in the world for a long time, and I've never seen her in the world for a long time.

Drunken Flower Shade

(Song) Li Qingzhao

The mist and thick clouds are worrying about the eternal day, the Rui Brain pinned the golden beast.

The festive season is again the second day of the year, and the jade pillow and gauze cupboard, the middle of the night cool through.

Don't worry, I'm not going to be able to get a good look at you, but I'm going to be able to get a good look at you.

There is no way I can't be happy with the way I look at you!

Yangzhou in Chang'an also September 9, line Weishan Pavilion fugue rhyme

(South Chen) Jiang always

Heart chasing the southern clouds died, the shape with the northern geese to come.

The chrysanthemums under the hedge in my hometown, how many flowers are blooming today?

Drunk with the east wind, the 9th anniversary of the reunification

(Yuan) Guan Hanqing

The title of the red leaves and clear flow of the Royal Gully, and the yellow flowers of the people drunk on the song building.

The sky is long and the shadow of geese is scarce, the moon is falling and the mountains are thin.

Cold and clear in the twilight of autumn, the decaying willow cold cicada a piece of sadness,

Who is willing to teach the white clothes to send wine.

Nine days

(Ming) Wensen

Three years ago, the chrysanthemum was not at home when it opened.

When would I expect to drink today's wine, and suddenly I am facing the flowers in my old garden?

There are clouds in the open field, and geese gather in the sand in the cold sky.

There is no limit to how far I can look at the capital.

The old man's house

[Tang] Meng Haoran

The old man has chickens and millet, and invites me to his house in the field.

The village is surrounded by green trees, and the green hills are beyond.

It was the first time that I had ever been to a house in the countryside, where I was invited to drink wine and talk about mulberry and hemp.

When the sun comes up, I will come back to the chrysanthemums.