On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, the Double Ninth Festival is celebrated. Its name comes from the I-Ching, the Chinese Book of Changes, which states that nine is a yang number. Because of these two incidences of a yang number on this day, it is called the Double Ninth.
The Three Kingdoms Period (220-280 AD) was the first recorded mention of the Double Ninth Festival and it can be traced back as far as the early Han dynasty. The Queen at the time was jealous of one of the imperial concubines and eventually drove her maid out of the palace. This maid revealed that wearing dogwood and drinking chrysanthemum wine was something they did in the palace on the ninth day of the ninth month, in order to prevent disaster. Afterwards, it became a custom throughout China.
Dogwood had been worn since the Tang dynasty as it is heavily scented, gets rid of insects and humidity, cures excess body heat and helps digestion, as well as its fruit being edible and the leaves and twigs being used as medicine.
Planting dogwood on the Double Ninth was believed to avoid disasters and prevent disease; it was also worn on the person. Most people who continue this custom today are women and children, though some men also wear dogwood.
Chrysanthemums are also worn, as they blossom during the ninth lunar month and their name symbolises longevity. From the Tang dynasty onwards, people would wear these flowers and, from the Qing dynasty, Beijing people would place them in doorways and windows to attract good luck and dispel bad.
Double Ninth cakes are made of flour and can be sweet (with added pine nuts apricots, gingkoes and jujubes) or savoury (with added meat). Extra special cakes have nine layers and resemble a tower. To add to the ‘double yang’ symbolism, two tiny sheep sit on top (yang also means ‘sheep’ in Chinese).
This festival is also known as the Mountain-Climbing Festival, as this is an activity people have engaged in since the Tang dynasty. This also symbolises climbing metaphorically, so people pay much attention to this custom, and also the elderly value it because it is believed mountain climbing leads to a longer life.
People do not tend to plant dogwood these days, but they still go mountain climbing. More recently, a festival for respecting seniors was included into the celebrations, allowing people to show respect for the elderly and wish them a healthy and happy life.
Drinking chrysanthemum wine is a custom which dates back to the Eastern Jin dynasty. The poet Tao Yuanming was a recluse who enjoyed chrysanthemums and wine. People began to imitate him and later, scholars added feasting to the festivities. The practice proliferated after the Qing dynasty as it was no longer restricted to the ninth day of the ninth month, though the Double Ninth is still the day these customs are most widely enjoyed.
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