Double-ninth Festival

The ninth day of the ninth lunar month is the traditional Chongyang Festival，or Double-ninth Festival.It usually falls in October in the Gregorian calendar.In an ancient and mysterious book，Yi Jing，or The Book of Changes，the number 6 was thought to be of Yin character，meaning feminine or negative，while the number 9 was thought to be Yang，meaning masculine orpositive.So the ninth month and the ninth day create the Double-ninth Festival，or Chongyang Festival.Chong in Chinese means“double.”Also，as double ninth was pronounced the same as the word to signify“forever，”the ancient Chinese considered it an auspicious day worth celebration.This is why the ancient Chinese began to celebrate this festival.

The custom of ascending a height to avoid epidemics was passed down from long time ago.

Therefore，the Double-ninth Festival is also called”Height Ascending Festival.”The height that people will reach is usually on a mountain or a tower.Ancient literary figures have left many poems depicting the activity.Even today，people still swarm to famous or little-known mountains on this day.

The Double ninth Festival is also a time when chrysanthemums bloom.China boasts diversespecies of chrysanthemum and people have loved them since ancient times.So enjoying the flourishing chrysanthemum also becomes a key activity on this festival.Also，people will drink chrysanthemum wine.Women used to stick the flower into their hair or hang its branches on windows or doors to avoid evil.

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