Which day do you never forget in a year?

Christmas Day?

Valentine's Day ?

New Year's Day ?

Oh,that’right! It’s your own birthday!!

Perhaps you will remember next Tuesday...

—— The Double Ninth Festival ！

Contents ♦ Double-Ninth Festival, s Origin( 来源 ) ♦ Double-Ninth Festival, s Legend( 传说 ) ♦ Double-Ninth Festival, s Customs ( 习俗 )

Origin( 来源 ) The "Double Ninth Festival", also known as the "Chong-yang festival", is a traditional Chinese festival which falls on the 9th day of the 9th month of the lunar calendar( 阴历 ). In an ancient book Yi Jing, or The Book of Changes, number "6" was thought to be of Yin character, meaning feminine( 阴性的 ) or negative, while number "9" was thought to be Yang, meaning masculine( 阳性的 ) or positive. The number nine in both month and day creates the Double Ninth Festival, or Chong Yang Festival, where “Chong” means double in Chinese. The double ninth festival as early as already formed in the Warring States time( 战国时期 ), to the Tang Dynasty( 朝代 ), it has been decided as officially folk( 民间的 ) the holiday, hereafter the double ninth festival follows until now.

Legend( 传说 ) According to the legend( 刻印文字 ), in ancient times, there lived a man named Fei Changfang who had become an immortal( 神仙 ). One day He told his student Huan Jing that disaster would come to his family on the ninth day of the ninth month. To avoid the disaster, he instructed Huan Jing to make a red bag for each family member and put sprigs( 小枝 ) of dogwood( 茱萸 ) in every bag. He asked everyone to tie a bag to his arm and climb to the top of a mountain and drink some chrysanthemum( 菊花 ) wine.

On hearing this, Huan Jing and his family did exactly what his teacher said. The whole family climbed a nearby mountain and did not return until the evening. When they got back home, they found all their animals dead, including chickens, sheep, dogs and even the powerful ox( 公牛 ). However, the family members were safe. And so it happened that climbing a mountain, carrying sprigs( 小枝 ) of dogwood( 茱萸 ) and drinking chrysanthemum( 菊花 ) wine became the traditional activities of the Chong Yang Festival.

♦ Climbing Mountains ♦ Outing for Sightseeing ♦ Enjoying the Chrysanthemum Blossom( 观赏菊花 ) ♦ Drinking Chrysanthemum Wine ♦ Carrying dogwood branches ( 遍插 茱萸 ) ♦ Eating Chong Yang Cake Customs ( 习俗 )

The Double Ninth Festival falls in the golden season of autumu.The comfortable weather and the joy of harvest, usually perfect for outdoor activities. Many people go hiking and climbing mountains in the countryside.Certainly, people can enjoy red leaves 、 wild flowers and have a picnic.

The Double Ninth Festival is also a time when chrysanthemum( 菊花 ) blooms. China boasts( 已有... 而自豪 ) diversified species of chrysanthemum and people have loved them since ancient times. So enjoying the flourishing( 繁茂的 ) chrysanthemum and drinking chrysanthemum wine also became a key activity on this festival.

Carrying dogwood branches to avoid misfortune was a belief in ancient China.The zhuyu is one of the festival's important symbols.

The Double Ninth Festival's wind of diet, most famous eats the double- ninth cake. In the north, more people eat the double-ninth cake.

The traditional Double Ninth Festival has been assigned new meanings nowadays. In 1989, the Double Ninth Festival was declared Seniors' Day in China. Since nine is the highest odd digit, people take two of them together to signify longevity. Hence the ninth day of the ninth month has become a special day for people to pay their respects to the elderly and a day for the elderly to enjoy themselves.

O(∩_∩)O~