What is Chongyang Festival?
重阳节，因庆祝于农历九月初九，也称为双九节。在《易经》中，“六” 为阴数，“九”为阳数，“九九”两阳数相重，故曰“重阳”；因日与月皆逢九，故又称为“重九”，古人认为这是个值得庆祝的吉祥日子。而且，在民俗观念中“九”在数字中是最大数，有长久长寿的含意，寄托着人们对老人健康长寿的祝福。
Chongyang Festival, also referred to as the Double Ninth Festival, is held on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. In accordance with the mysterious book Yi Jing, six is regarded as a feminine number in the Yin character, and nine is treated as a masculine number in the Yang character. “Chong” in Chinese characters means double. It is believed that the double ninth day in the lunar calendar is a fortunate day to be celebrated. Moreover, in folklore, "nine" is the largest number, which represents longevity, so people endow it with blessings to the health and longevity of the elderly.
如今，每年农历九月初九已被官方定为老年节，使这一传统佳节成为尊老、敬老、爱老、助老的新式节日，登高赏秋与感恩敬老成为了两大活动主题。
Today, the ninth day of the ninth lunar month has been officially designated as the Elderly Day, making this traditional festival a new day for respecting, loving and helping the elderly. Climbing high amid the beauty of autumn and showing gratitude to elders are the two major themes of today's Chongyang Festival.
How to celebrate the Chongyang Festival in China?
随着中国历法的发展，人们对时间有了新的认识，也意识到了由夏入秋的气候变化，所以习俗活动多与此时气候相宜。
With the development of the Chinese calendar, people had a new understanding about time and were also aware of transition from summer to autumn, so all of the customs are about people’s feelings in this season.
庆祝活动多样，包括登高望远、戴茱萸、吃重阳饼、赏菊花、喝菊花酒等。随着时间流逝，已经很难了解当初的活动全貌，但这些习俗至今仍在代代相传。
There are lots of activities in the festival, including sightseeing, climbing mountains, wearing Zhuyu, eating Chongyang cake, admiring chrysanthemums and drinking chrysanthemum wine. Although it is hard to know the original sacrificial ceremony as time has passed by, but these customs are still handed down.
传说在重阳节登高可以预防疾病，所以重阳节也被称为登高节。如今，人们也会在这天与亲朋友好友相约去欣赏自然美景。
Climbing to high places on the Double Ninth Festival can prevent disease as in its legend, so that it is also known as the Height Ascending Festival. Today, people will enjoy the natural beauty with friends and relatives on this day.
吃重阳糕这一习俗还暗藏着一个有趣的文字游戏，在中文里，“糕”的发音是“gao”，类似于“高”。那是由于没有山的地方无高可登，有人就由登高想到了吃糕，以吃糕代替登高，表示步步升高。
In Chinese characters, the pronunciation of cake is “gao”, which is similar to the word for ‘high’. That is a little word-play trick. It is said that there is no high place to climb where there is no mountain, so people eat cakes instead of climbing.
在唐代（公元618-907年），戴茱萸这个习俗就已经流传甚广了。人们认为，重阳节当天在家门口插一些茱萸不仅可以驱虫，还可以驱除湿气和邪气，保护屋内人不受疾病和灾害困扰。也有的人把茱萸系在手臂上，或装进小袋绑在腰带上。
Wearing the Zhuyu plant is very prevalent in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.). It was considered that putting some Zhuyu plants in front of the house on the Double Ninth Festival can not only repel insects, but also drive away moisture and evil spirits, protecting people from diseases and disasters. Some wear it around their arm or make a sachet which is tied to their waistband.
赏菊、喝菊花酒
Enjoy Chrysanthemum & Drink Chrysanthemum Wine
重阳节正值菊花盛放，人们不仅喜爱它的美丽，更欣赏它傲立于深秋的强大生命力。据说晋代（公元265-420年）诗人陶渊明是最初开始赏菊和喝菊花酒的，因为大家很佩服他的写诗才华，后来也都跟风效仿他赏菊和喝酒。
Chrysanthemum is usually in full bloom around the Chongyang Festival. People not only love the beauty of the flower, but also appreciate its strong vitality in late autumn. It is said that the idea of enjoying chrysanthemums and drinking its wine was created by a brilliant poet named Tao Yuanming in the Jin Dynasty (265-420 AD). Following in his footsteps, people take it as an important activity on the festival.
看望老人
Visit Elderly Relatives
中国的重阳节也就是老年节，所以人们通常会在这一天去看望家里的老人亲友，送上问候和祝福，也会全家人一起登高或出游。
Since China designated the Double Ninth Festival as the Senior’s Day, people usually spend time accompanying elderly relatives on the day for respect. It is a great opportunity to climb to high places or have an excursion for whole families.
重阳安康！
Happy Double Ninth Day!
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