CCTV News:Today (October 14th) is the Double Ninth Festival. What are the customs of Double Ninth Festival? When did the Double Ninth Festival become an official festival? Why is the "Senior Citizen’s Day" set on the Double Ninth Festival?
The Double Ninth Festival is a traditional festival with a long history in China, also known as the Double Ninth Festival, the Ascending Festival, the Chrysanthemum Festival and the cornus Festival. According to the research, the climbing of Chongyang originated from mountain worship, and feasting originated from celebrating the harvest. Therefore, since ancient times, the society has widely formed the customs of climbing and overlooking, visiting in autumn, chanting, planting dogwood, enjoying chrysanthemums by relatives and friends, drinking chrysanthemum wine, eating Chongyang cake and so on.
In the traditional culture of China, "Nine" is the "pole" of yang number. On the ninth day of September, the two "Nine" are important, and both the month and the day belong to the maximum yang number, so it is called "Chongyang" or "Double Nine". Because of the homonym of "nine" and "long time", the ancients thought that this day was "suitable for a long time, so it was necessary to enjoy a banquet."
Since ancient times, the ninth day of September has been given the meaning of "longevity", so the Double Ninth Festival has gradually acquired the meaning of "Festival for the Elderly". On this day, the elderly should pray for longevity by climbing mountains and drinking chrysanthemum wine.
Since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it has gradually become a trend to hold a banquet in Chongyang. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there was a fashion of enjoying chrysanthemums and drinking chrysanthemum wine. The preface of the poet Tao Yuanming’s "Nine Days of Idleness" can be used as evidence: "I am idle and love the name of nine. Autumn chrysanthemum is full of gardens, but it is awkward, and it is empty for Jiuhua, and it is cherished in words. " "Lao Zi" refers to wine, and "Jiuhua" means chrysanthemum in September. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, Chongyang has become a formal folk festival. Because chrysanthemum is a symbol of longevity, both men and women have also formed the wind of "holding chrysanthemums".
In 1989, China designated the annual Double Ninth Festival as "Festival for the Elderly" and "Festival for Respecting the Elderly". In order to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the elderly, develop the cause of aging healthily and carry forward the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation, the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly, which was implemented on July 1, 2013, stipulates that the annual Double Ninth Festival is China’s "Elderly Festival". This year is the ninth statutory "Elderly Festival" in China.
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