Chongyang, the Double Ninth Festival, was mentioned as early as in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods in the "Chu Ci" (Songs of Chu). Qu Yuan's "Yuan You" writes: "Gathered in the palace of the Emperor, I met Xun Shi and observed the clear capital." Here, "Chongyang" refers to the sky, not yet a festival. In the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Pi, the Emperor Wen of Wei, in his letter "Nine Days with Zhong Yao" clearly mentions the banquet on Chongyang: "Years pass and months go by, suddenly it is the ninth day of the ninth month. Nine is a yang number, and both the sun and moon correspond, so the people take this name as auspicious for long-lasting prosperity, hence holding banquets and gatherings."
During the Jin Dynasty, the literary figure Tao Yuanming in his poem "Nine Days of Leisure" said in the preface: "I live in seclusion, loving the name of Chongyang. Autumn chrysanthemums fill the garden, but I have no wine to offer, so I can only admire the chrysanthemums and express my feelings in words." Here, both chrysanthemums and wine are mentioned. It is likely that during the Wei and Jin periods, people had the custom of drinking wine and appreciating chrysanthemums on Chongyang. By the Tang Dynasty, Chongyang was officially recognized as a folk festival.
By the Ming Dynasty, on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, the imperial court would eat flower cakes together to celebrate, and the emperor himself would personally climb Mount Wansui to enjoy the autumn scenery, a custom that continued into the Qing Dynasty.
The Legend of the Chongyang Festival
Like most traditional Chinese festivals, Chongyang also has ancient legends.
According to legend, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a plague demon in the Ru River. Whenever it appeared, families would fall ill, and people would die every day. The people in this area suffered greatly from the demon's torment.
A plague took the lives of young Heng Jing's parents, and he himself nearly died from illness. After recovering, he bid farewell to his beloved wife and fellow villagers, determined to travel far and wide to learn the art of exorcism to save the people from the demon. Heng Jing searched for teachers and practiced Daoist arts throughout the land, eventually learning that in the east there was the oldest mountain, where an immortal with great powers resided. Not fearing the difficulties and long journey, guided by a crane, Heng Jing finally found the mountain and the immortal with magical powers. Touched by Heng Jing's determination, the immortal accepted him as a disciple and taught him sword techniques to subdue demons, giving him a magical sword to fight evil spirits. Heng Jing practiced diligently, mastering extraordinary martial skills.
One day, the immortal called Heng Jing and said, "Tomorrow is the ninth day of the ninth month; the demon will come again to cause trouble. Now that you have mastered your skills, you should return to help the people." The immortal gave Heng Jing a bag of Junyu leaves, a cup of chrysanthemum wine, and secretly taught him how to ward off evil spirits, telling him to ride the crane back home quickly.
Heng Jing returned to his hometown. On the morning of the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, following the immortal's instructions, he led the villagers to a nearby mountain, gave each person a piece of Junyu leaf and a cup of chrysanthemum wine, preparing for the battle against the demon. At noon, the demon emerged from the Ru River with a loud cry, but upon smelling the strong aroma of Junyu and the scent of chrysanthemum wine, it stopped abruptly, its face changing color. At this moment, Heng Jing descended the mountain with his magical sword, and after a few rounds, he killed the demon with his blade. From then on, the custom of climbing mountains on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month to avoid plagues was passed down year after year. This story is recorded in "Continuation of the Records of Doubles and Harmonies" by Wu Jun of the Liang Dynasty.
Later, people regarded the custom of climbing mountains on Chongyang as an activity to avoid disasters and misfortunes. Additionally, in the traditional beliefs of Central China, double nine symbolizes longevity and good health. Therefore, Chongyang was later established as the Senior Citizens' Day.
