Double Ninth Day: Why is it Spent in the Mountains or With Your Elders (or Both)?

Feeling guilty because you haven't called your grandparents in ages? Now's the time to make up for it because Chongyang Festival 重阳节 (chóngyáng jié) also known as Double Ninth Day 重九节 (chóng jiǔ jié), is right around the corner, on Oct 25. In Chinese literature, the day is an autumnal coda to the year, a time for reflection and the appreciation of the temporary nature of beauty. Poets would write of leaves falling, flowers fading, and friends saying goodbye. In recent times, the holiday has become one of celebration, particularly of the elderly, and a chance for family outings, although the date once was also a cause for some concern.

In Chinese numerology, the number nine is associated with the principle of Yang, the masculine complement of Yin in the Yin/Yang system. Today is the ninth day of the ninth month in the Lunar-Solar calendar (hence the name “Double Yang/Double Brightness”). While Yang is generally considered a good thing, too much of anything can throw a system out of balance. When systems are out of balance, as the 84-year-old auntie who lives on your hutong will remind you every day this winter, people get sick.

One of the most common origin stories for the holiday dates back to the Eastern Han era (25-220 CE) and a man named Huán Jǐng (桓景). A fierce plague had stricken Huang Jing’s hometown (located in what is today Henan Province). Huan Jing’s parents died in the epidemic and Huan Jing only barely survived his own illness. Once he recovered, Huan Jing set out on a quest to possess magic strong enough to kill the demons causing the pestilence. He heard that an Immortal in the east could teach him what he wanted to learn. After a long journey, Huan Jing found the immortal who, pitying the young pilgrim, agreed to teach him how to defeat his demons. (Which is basically the B-plot of Empire Strikes Back.)

After a period of instruction, the teacher called to Huan Jing and told him that he had foreseen the demon appearing again, this time on the ninth day of the ninth month and that it would be the time for Huan Jing to kill his nemesis. Huan Jing returned to his hometown and asked all of his surviving family members to climb a nearby mountain. Each person had with them leaves from the zhūyú (also known as the Japanese cornelian cherry or cornus officinalis) and a vial of chrysanthemum liquor. Sure enough, the devil appeared but was soon intoxicated from the scent of zhuyu and chrysanthemum. Seizing the opportunity, Huan Jing drew his sword and killed the demon.

While there are many other stories associated with the festival, the tale of Huan Jing gives a bit of backstory for some of the holiday's more common activities. 

Chongyang Festival is often a day when whole families will head out and dēnggāo 登高 or “ascend the heights,” hiking in the hills and taking in the pure mountain air as a way to stay healthy and vigorous. It doesn’t hurt that, at least in many parts of China, the festival corresponds to cooler weather and peak foliage season. 

The wearing of zhuyu and chrysanthemum flowers and the drinking of chrysanthemum tea (or, for the more celebratory, chrysanthemum liquor) were also once common ways to celebrate the holiday. Chrysanthemum is used in traditional Chinese medicine to add a little yin in a body suffering from too much yang. The association of the chrysanthemum with the holiday was given an imperial boost during the Northern Song when the emperors declared the ninth month of the ninth day to celebrate the chrysanthemum.*

Finally, the Chinese language loves a good homophone and “nine” (九 jiǔ) sounds a bit like “longevity” (久 jiǔ ) and, in the past, it was one of the four major festivals for the honoring and venerating of ancestors. In the 20th century, the holiday was given a new meaning, first by the government of Taiwan in 1966 and later by authorities on the mainland in 1988, as a day to honor senior citizens. For many Beijingers today, the holiday is about visiting elderly relatives and organizing outings for retirees.

So, if you can swing it, it's time to hustle grandma up into the mountains on a little hiking trip.

READ: Technically Speaking, Beijing's Parks are Getting an Upgrade

Jeremiah Jenne is a writer and historian based in Beijing. He is also the proprietor of Beijing by Foot, a company that leads walking tours and educational programs in the city. You can find him on Twitter @jeremiahjenne.

*Geremie R. Barmé, "Ninth of the Ninth 重陽 Double Brightness," China Heritage, Oct 28, 2017

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