What does climbing on the Double Ninth Festival mean?

The meaning of climbing on the Double Ninth Festival is health and longevity. It is also an activity to worship ancestors and miss family and friends. The Double Ninth Festival refers to the ninth day of the ninth lunar month every year and is a traditional Chinese folk festival. Ancient folk had the custom of climbing on the Double Ninth Festival, so the Double Ninth Festival is also called the "Climbing Festival".

The Double Ninth Festival falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month every year and is a traditional Chinese folk festival. In ancient times, during the Double Ninth Festival, people had customs such as climbing high to pray for blessings, going on autumn outings to appreciate chrysanthemums, planting dogwood trees, worshiping gods and ancestors, and drinking banquets to pray for longevity. It has been passed down to this day, and connotations such as respecting the elderly have been added. On the Double Ninth Festival, a banquet is held to express gratitude and respect for the elderly.

Climbing high to enjoy autumn and being grateful and respecting the elderly are two important themes of today’s Double Ninth Festival activities. The Double Ninth Festival, also known as "Taking Autumn", is a traditional festival of the Han nationality. The meaning of climbing on the Double Ninth Festival is to be healthy and long-lived, to get rid of diseases and to be strong. It is also an activity to worship ancestors and means to miss family and friends.

Traditional customs of the Double Ninth Festival:

1. Climbing high on the Double Ninth Festival. Folks have the custom of climbing high during the Double Ninth Festival, so the Double Ninth Festival is also called the "Climbing Festival". Climbing can be climbing a mountain, climbing a tall building or climbing a high platform. People love to climb high on the Double Ninth Festival; firstly, it stems from the worship of mountains by the ancients; secondly, it stems from the concept of "clear air rises and turbid air sinks"; and thirdly, climbing high and overlooking the distance gives people a condescending and refreshing feeling.

2. Flying paper kites on the Double Ninth Festival. People release paper kites on the Double Ninth Festival to "release good luck" and "to release blessings." The higher the paper kites fly, the stronger the blessings will be.

3. Appreciate chrysanthemums on the Double Ninth Festival. People enjoy chrysanthemums on the Double Ninth Festival because chrysanthemums symbolize longevity.