What are the themes of the Double Ninth Festival activities?

What customs of the Double Ninth Festival in ancient times have been passed down to this day? The Double Ninth Festival, which falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, is full of activities and fun, including climbing mountains, admiring chrysanthemums, eating Double Ninth cakes, planting dogwoods, etc. This custom is still preserved in some areas today.

1. Climbing on the Double Ninth Festival In ancient times, people had the custom of climbing on the Double Ninth Festival. According to legend, this custom began in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Climbing on the Double Ninth Festival. People climbed mountains on the ninth day of September to ward off evil spirits and avoid disasters. Therefore, the Double Ninth Festival is also called the "Climbing Festival". Most of the climbing poems written by ancient literati are related to the Double Ninth Festival. Literati in the Tang Dynasty wrote many climbing poems, most of which were about the customs of the Double Ninth Festival. Du Fu's seven-character "Deng Gao" is a famous poem about climbing on the Double Ninth Festival. In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the date of climbing was set on September 9th. "Records of the Years of Jingchu" says that on September 9th, people from all walks of life, including scholars, farmers, industry and commerce, went to the outskirts to hold a banquet and drink.

For the convenience of climbing high, Xie Lingyun, a poet of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, also made a kind of clogs with iron teeth on the front and back. The front teeth were removed when going up the mountain, and the back teeth were removed when going down the mountain. They were called "Xie Gong's clogs". In the Song Dynasty, climbing was still popular. "Tokyo Menghua Lu" records: "Many people in the capital went out to the suburbs to climb mountains." In the Southern Song Dynasty, according to "Old Wulin Events", the palace arranged for the Double Ninth Festival on the 8th, waiting for a grand entertainment the next day. The emperor of the Ming Dynasty personally went to Long Live Mountain to climb. In the Qing Dynasty, there was a rockery in the imperial garden for the emperor to climb during the Double Ninth Festival. In short, there are no uniform regulations for climbing wherever you go. Generally, you climb mountains and towers.

2. Eat Double Ninth Cake. Eating cakes on the Double Ninth Festival is just like eating mooncakes on the Mid-Autumn Festival. Historically, the names of Double Ninth cakes have been different in different dynasties: in the Han Dynasty, it was called "Peng Yi"; in the Tang Dynasty, it was called "Ma Ge Cake" and "Mijin Cake"; in the Song Dynasty, it was called "Peng Yi Cake" "Chrysanthemum cake", "Double Ninth Festival cake"; in the Qing Dynasty, it was called "flower cake". According to historical records, Double Ninth Cake is also called flower cake, chrysanthemum cake, and five-color cake. There is no set method for making it and it is relatively random. At dawn on September 9th, people put a piece of cake on their children's foreheads and muttered something, wishing their children all the best. This was the original intention of the ancients to make cakes in September. The special Double Ninth Festival cake should be made into nine layers, like a pagoda, with two lambs on top to match the meaning of Double Ninth Festival (sheep). Some people also put a small red paper flag on the Double Ninth Festival cake and light candles.

This probably means using "lighting lamps" and "eating cakes" instead of "climbing high", and using small red paper flags instead of dogwood. Today, there is still no fixed variety of Double Ninth Cake. The soft cakes eaten on the Double Ninth Festival in various places are called Double Ninth Cake. From a folk perspective, "cake" and "gao" have the same pronunciation. The ancients believed that "everything is high". Eating cakes during the Double Ninth Festival symbolizes climbing higher and higher, which has unique meaning. According to historical records, Double Ninth Cake is not only eaten by the family, but also used as gifts, which has great etiquette significance. "The Record of Success in the Imperial Capital" records: "Flower cakes are extremely popular on the Double Ninth Festival in the capital. There are those who make oil candy stoves, those who make dough by steaming fruits, and those who pound glutinous rice and yellow rice. They all cut five-color flags as signs. City people Fight to buy, provide for the family, and give gifts to relatives and friends."

3. Appreciate chrysanthemums on the Double Ninth Festival. Appreciating chrysanthemums on the Double Ninth Festival has long existed in ancient my country. During the Double Ninth Festival, the chrysanthemums are in full bloom. Their purple, yellow and fragrant colors add infinite color to the festival. Folks also call the ninth month of the lunar calendar the "Chrysanthemum Moon". The Double Ninth Festival is the golden autumn season of the year, when chrysanthemums are in full bloom. It is said that chrysanthemum appreciation originated from Tao Yuanming, a great poet of the Jin Dynasty. Tao Yuanming was famous for his seclusion, his poetry, and his love for chrysanthemums. Later generations followed his example, and the custom of appreciating chrysanthemums during the Double Ninth Festival began. It is said that Tao Yuanming, a poet of the Jin Dynasty, was a chrysanthemum fan. When he was living in seclusion, he often "picked chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and saw the Nanshan Mountain leisurely." He often said to himself about the chrysanthemums: "The chrysanthemums know my heart and bloom on September 9th; the guests know my wishes and come with us on the Double Ninth Festival."

In the Song Dynasty, chrysanthemum appreciation became a grand event. During this period, no matter the royal family, literati, or ordinary people, they all have to enjoy the chrysanthemums. Literati also held chrysanthemum parties for social banquets, appreciating chrysanthemums and reciting poems. However, the largest and most popular one was the palace chrysanthemum viewing: "On the eighth day of the ban, nine rows of chrysanthemums were arranged, and thousands of chrysanthemums were arranged in the Qingrui Hall, which were dazzling, and chrysanthemum lanterns were lit, just like New Year's Eve. "After the Qing Dynasty, the custom of appreciating chrysanthemums became particularly prosperous, and it was not limited to festivals, but it was still most prosperous around the Double Ninth Festival. In some places, chrysanthemum conferences are held around the Double Ninth Festival. People came and went out to watch the chrysanthemums, and the excitement was unprecedented.

In addition to the above common customs, there are also some unique festival customs in various places during the Double Ninth Festival. People in some places also take advantage of the opportunity of climbing mountains on the Double Ninth Festival to visit their ancestors' tombs and commemorate their ancestors. Dear readers, what do you think?