Scent of chrysanthemum
What you need to know about the meaningful and symbolic double Ninth Festival.
CHONGYANG Festival (or Chung Yeung Festival) is also called the Double Ninth Festival as it falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month (Oct 7) this year.
According to the I Ching (ancient Chinese divination text), this Double Ninth day has too much yang (active energy) and is therefore “a potentially dangerous day”. Traditionally, people climb mountains, drink chrysanthemum wine and and carry the zhuyu plant (dogwood) for protection.
People also go to parks to enjoy the beauty of chrysanthemums as the flower symbolises longevity.
Drinking chrysanthemum wine is believed to block off disasters and ward off evil. The scent of chrysanthemum and zhuyu is said to repel insects and keep out the cold.
Although this annual festival is not celebrated in Malaysia, it is a traditional Chinese holiday and celebrated in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
In China, nine has a similar pronunciation to the word “forever” which symbolises longevity.
In 1966, Taiwan rededicated this holiday as Senior
Citizens’ Day. And in
1989, the Chinese government set this day as Seniors’ Day. Activities are held to show respect and appreciation towards seniors, such as trips for them and sending them gifts.
In Hong Kong, families visit their ancestral graves on this day. The Japanese celebrate the Double Ninth Festival (Sept 9 according to the Gregorian calendar) known as Choyo and Chrysanthemum Festival at Shinto and Buddhist shrines.
It is one of Japan’s five sacred ancient festivals and is celebrated to wish for longevity. People drink chrysanthemum sake and eat chestnut rice (kuri-gohan ) and chestnuts with glutinous rice (guri-mochi).
Koreans, too, celebrate Double Ninth on Sept 9; their festival is known as Jungyangjeol. They would eat pancakes with chrysanthemum leaves and cultivate good health by participating in outdoor activities such as carrying dogwood, climbing hills or mountains for picnics, and gazing at chrysanthemum blossoms in the park.
Water to boost relationships
Local feng shui master Yap Boh Chu said the Double Ninth Festival is “a semi-auspicious day”.
“It is a good day to demolish a building,” he said.
“However, it is a bad day for burial and burning of the memorial tablet in Taoist memorial services.” Yap explained this is because it is believed that the luck of the descendants will be affected.
His advice is not to disturb the southwest sector of the house.
“It is extremely bad to do anything in this sector as this can lead to sickness and accidents.”
However, if the north sector of your house has a water element, it is a sign that it is good to start a relationship.
“If not, you can enhance your relationship by placing a bucket of water in this sector and changing it every day for five days only.”
History and legend
The origin of Chongyang Festival dates back over 2,000 years to the Warring States Period (475 BC – 221 BC) in China, where the festival was held in the palace.
It was celebrated by the public during the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD), and it was known as Chongyang Festival during the Three Kingdoms Period (220 – 280 AD).
The custom of celebrating the day by enjoying chrysanthemum and drinking wine was believed to originate during the Jin Dynasty (265 – 420 AD). It was officially set as a festival during the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 AD).
In the Ming and Qing dynasties, flower cakes were eaten to celebrate the festival, and the emperor climbed the mountain on this day.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 – 220 AD), people would fall ill and die whenever a devil (some say, monster) in the Ruhe River emerged. A man named Huan Jing survived but his parents died because of this.
After his recovery, he sought an immortal’s help to vanquish the devil and was given some zhuyu leaves and chrysanthemum wine. Huan Jing distributed zhuyu leaves and glasses of chrysanthemum wine to the people.
On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, the devil emerged from the river but became dizzy when it smelt zhuyu and wine. Huan Jing drew his sword and killed it.
According to another version of the story, on Double Ninth day, a man named Heng Jing advised his countrymen to hide on a hill while he battled a monster. When the monster was killed, the people held a victory celebration on that day.