The origin of Double Ninth Festival
The Double Ninth Festival originated from the worship of astronomical phenomena, which began in ancient times, spread in the Western Han Dynasty and flourished after the Tang Dynasty. According to the existing historical data and textual research, in ancient times, there were activities of offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors in the autumn and the season; The ancients offered sacrifices to the Emperor and ancestors when the crops were harvested in September, which was an activity to thank the Emperor and ancestors for their kindness. This is the original form of the Double Ninth Festival as an autumn harvest sacrifice activity.
The Double Ninth Festival was originally a festive day. The ancients divided everything in heaven and earth into Yin and Yang, with Yin representing darkness and Yang representing light and vitality. Odd numbers are positive and even numbers are negative. Nine is an odd number, so it belongs to Yang. On the ninth day of September, the sun and the moon meet, and the two yang are heavy, so it is called "Chongyang". On this day, it is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the sky is crisp. This is a good time to climb high and overlook and relax. At this time, many literati in the past dynasties in China climbed high and looked far, drank chrysanthemum wine and recited poems for fun, leaving countless poems. In September, when the cold winter came, people began to buy winter clothes. When they worship their ancestors, they don't forget to burn paper clothes and let them spend the winter in the underworld. As a result, the Double Ninth Festival evolved into a festival to sweep graves and burn winter clothes for ancestors.
The Origin, Legends and Stories of the Double Ninth Festival
According to legend, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a plague demon in Ruhe. As soon as it appears, every family will get sick and even die every day. It's terrible that people in this area have been ravaged by plague demons.
At that time, there was a young man named Hengjing in runan county. One year, the plague took away his parents and he almost died himself. After Hengjing recovered from her illness, she bid farewell to her beloved wife and fellow villagers, and decided to go out to study art in immortals, so as to kill pests for the people. After going through difficulties and obstacles, Hengjing finally found a magical fairy on an ancient mountain. Immortal was moved by his tireless efforts and the spirit of eliminating evils for the people, and decided to accept him as a disciple, give him a demon-reducing sword, and secretly teach him how to do it. Hengjing forgot to eat and sleep, practiced hard day and night, and finally developed an extraordinary martial arts.
One day, the immortal called Heng Jing to his side and said, "Tomorrow is the ninth day of September, and the plague god will come out to do evil again. Now that you have learned your skills, you should go back and kill the people! " . At this time, the immortal gave Hengjing a pack of dogwood leaves and a bottle of chrysanthemum wine, and gave him the secret of exorcism, so that Hengjing could ride a crane home immediately.
Hengjing returned to his hometown. On the morning of September 9, according to the instructions of the immortal, he led the villagers to a nearby mountain and gave everyone a dogwood leaf and a cup of chrysanthemum wine. At noon, the wind roared, the north wind suddenly rose and it was dark. With a few piercing screams, the plague demon rushed out of the Ruhe River and rushed to the foot of the mountain. At this moment, Mo Wen suddenly smelled the strange smell of Cornus officinalis and the mellow fragrance of chrysanthemum wine, and his face suddenly changed, shaking all over, and he dared not go any further. Just then, Heng Jing rushed down the hill with a demon sword in his hand. After several rounds of fierce fighting, Hengjing stabbed Mo Wen to death and wiped out the plague. Since then, the custom of climbing mountains on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month has been passed down.
It is said that in the traditional concept of Central Plains people, the Double Ninth Festival symbolizes longevity, health and longevity, so people call it the Festival for the Elderly.
The Double Ninth Festival has a historical origin. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Qu Yuan wrote in "Travel Far": "Gather in Chongyang to enter the Emperor's Palace, build a ten-day period, and see the capital of Qing Dynasty". During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Pi said in Nine Days and Zhong You: "From the year to the month, then September 9 suddenly came again. Nine is the number of yang, and the sun and the moon coincide. It is well known and considered suitable for a long time, so it is a feast. " He wrote clearly about the Double Ninth Festival banquet. Tao Yuanming of Jin Dynasty said in the preface to "Idle for Nine Days": "I am idle and love the name of Nine. Autumn chrysanthemums are full of gardens, but they are sad, empty for Jiuhua, and precious words are like gold. " Chrysanthemum and wine are mentioned here at the same time, which shows that drinking and enjoying chrysanthemums on the Double Ninth Festival has become a custom in Wei and Jin Dynasties. In the Tang Dynasty, Chongyang was officially designated as a folk festival. In the Ming Dynasty, on the Double Ninth Festival in September, people in the palace would eat flower cakes together to celebrate, and the emperor himself would climb the Long Live Mountain to celebrate his autumn ambition. This custom has been passed down to the Qing Dynasty.
Double ninth festival custom
1. Chrysanthemum viewing
The Double Ninth Festival is the best time for chrysanthemums to bloom, and it is also a good time to enjoy chrysanthemums, from which we can feel the beauty of life. Perhaps the ancients just liked this tranquility, and modern life was impetuous, so people followed the example of Tao Yuanming, Shu Ren of Jin Dynasty, and lived in seclusion with chrysanthemums, and the custom of enjoying chrysanthemums spread to the world from this moment.
climb mountains
The Double Ninth Festival is not only a good time for chrysanthemums to bloom, but also a crisp autumn, which is most suitable for climbing high and looking far. Since ancient times, there has been a folk tradition of climbing mountains on the Double Ninth Festival, so it is also called "Mountaineering Festival". There are also many mountaineering poems written by scholars in the Tang Dynasty, and Wang Wei's "Shanju Holiday Thinking of Shandong Brothers" is one of them.
3. Evodia rutaecarpa
Cornus officinalis has a strong flavor and can repel insects. The ancients believed that inserting Evodia rutaecarpa into the Double Ninth Festival could dispel diseases and strengthen the body. Many people will climb mountains to gather dogwood on the Double Ninth Festival, insert dogwood in front of the door, or simply make it into sachets and wear it on their bodies.
On the Double Ninth Festival, people climb mountains, go to the streets and overlook the city, which can bring people a deep peace. With the ancient culture, the Double Ninth Festival has profound cultural connotations and is a very meaningful festival. The Double Ninth Festival is the spiritual sustenance of China people. It makes us reunite warmly and fills our hearts with warm feelings.