Many people in China live a fast-paced life, and the days they remember are only the national holidays. However, some traditional festivals without official holidays are often overlooked. Chongyang Festival is one of them. How did Chongyang Festival originate? What are the folk customs of Chongyang Festival? Let's find out more with the "Festival List" section on Huayi Network!

Chongyang Festival is a traditional Chinese folk festival, held on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month every year. In the "Book of Changes," the number "nine" is considered a yang number. Since "nine" appears twice, it is called "Chongyang" (meaning double yang). Because both the day and the month are nine, it is also known as "Chongjiu." The concept of "nine nines returning to the truth" and "the beginning of a new cycle" makes the ancient people believe that Chongyang was an auspicious day. In ancient times, people had customs such as climbing high to pray for blessings, worshiping gods and ancestors, and holding banquets to wish for longevity. Over time, this festival has added the connotation of respecting the elderly. Climbing high and appreciating the autumn scenery, along with expressing gratitude and respect for the elderly, have become two major themes of modern Chongyang Festival activities.

Chongyang Festival originated from the worship of natural phenomena, dating back to the ancient times, becoming popular during the Western Han Dynasty, and reaching its peak after the Tang Dynasty. According to existing historical records and research, in the ancient times, there were activities of harvest offerings to heaven and ancestors in the late autumn. People would offer sacrifices to the deities and ancestors to express their gratitude for the harvest during the ninth month when the crops were ripe. This was the original form of Chongyang Festival as a seasonal harvest offering ceremony. The Tang Dynasty was an important period for the integration and shaping of traditional festival customs, and the main part of these customs has been passed down until today.

1. Mountain Climbing

The custom of mountain climbing on Chongyang Festival has a long history. In ancient times, people had the custom of climbing mountains on Chongyang Festival, so it is also known as the "Mountain Climbing Festival." The term "ciqing" (literally "say goodbye to green") comes from the natural seasonal changes. The practice of mountain climbing on Chongyang Festival, "ciqing," corresponds to the ancient custom of "taiqing" (literally "trampling green") during the spring festival of Qingming. The location for climbing does not have a fixed rule; it usually includes climbing mountains, tall buildings, or high platforms. The origin of the mountain climbing custom can be roughly divided into three aspects: first, it comes from the ancient people's worship of mountains; second, it comes from the climate where "clear air rises and turbid air descends"; third, it is the belief that climbing to higher places allows one to ascend with clear air.

2. Ciqing (Saying Goodbye to Green)

ancient people often paired Chongyang Festival with Shangsi (or Qingming) as the major spring and autumn festivals. If Shangsi was a festival for people to go outdoors after a long winter, then Chongyang was a meaningful autumn outing at the time when the cold weather arrived and people were about to retreat into seclusion. Therefore, the folk custom is that on Qingming Festival, people "taiqing" (trample green), while on Chongyang Festival, they "ciqing" (say goodbye to green).

3. Sun-Drying the Autumn Harvest

Chongyang Festival is the best time to appreciate autumn. In some mountainous villages in southern China, there is still a unique custom called "sun-drying the autumn harvest." Visiting the countryside to experience local customs and watch the sun-drying of the harvest has become a popular trend in rural tourism. "Sun-drying the autumn harvest" is a typical agricultural custom with strong regional characteristics. In provinces like Hunan, Guangxi, Anhui, and Jiangxi, villagers living in mountainous areas, due to complex terrain and limited flat land, use the front and back of houses, window sills, and rooftops to dry and hang their crops. Over time, this evolved into a traditional agricultural custom. This unique way of drying crops by villagers has gradually become a source of inspiration for painters and photographers, giving rise to the poetic term "sun-drying the autumn harvest."