Chongyang, a traditional Chinese festival, according to the Book of Changes, says: "nine" number is a yang number, and "ninety-nine" two yang numbers are overlapping, so it is called "Chongyang"; Because the sun and the moon are all nine, it is also called "heavy nine". In addition, with the development of society, this festival has a new name, the Old People's Day.
How did Chongyang come about?
In ancient times, according to the trajectory and position of the sun, moon and stars, people divided the stars near the ecliptic into 28 groups, commonly known as "28 Nakshatras". In the east, the horns, kang, di, fang, heart, tail, and kei form a complete dragon-shaped star (the seven nights of the dragon). In the autumn season when the "fire" retreats, people have to hold corresponding send-off ceremonies.
In the "Jiqiu Ji" of "Lü's Spring and Autumn Period", it was recorded that the ancients harvested in September to worship the emperor and worship their ancestors. The ancient sacrificial "fire" is a prototype of the Double Ninth Festival, and the time happens to be in the autumn season.
In order to thank the ancestors and gods, people held a variety of worship and ancestor worship rituals at this time, one is to thank the ancestors for a blessing, and the other is to hope that the gods will bless them, and in the coming year, the wind and rain will be smooth, and the grains will be abundant. This custom has been passed down until the Han Dynasty, and the customs of Chongyang became more abundant, and by the time of the Tang Dynasty, it was officially designated as a festival.
What are the customs of Chung Yeung Festival?
There are many customs of the Chung Yeung Festival, such as climbing high and looking far away, flying kites, worshiping gods and ancestors, drinking feasts and praying for longevity, etc., but if you want to say the two most important, it must be eating Chongyang cake and drinking chrysanthemum wine. As the old saying goes, "Chongyang cake chrysanthemum wine, eat people for a long time", why eat cakes and drink wine during the Double Ninth Festival?
1. Chongyang cake
As the name suggests, it is a pastry eaten during the Chung Yeung Festival, so how exactly is it made? Chongyang cake, also known as flower cake, chrysanthemum cake, five-color cake, has no fixed method, more casual. That is to say, in the specific practice, there is no clarity, the most particular thing is to make it into nine layers, like a pagoda, and make two lambs on it, in line with the meaning of Chongyang (sheep).
According to rural customs, when people eat chongyang cake, a small red paper flag (instead of dogwood) will be planted on it, and candles will be lit. "Lighting a lamp" and "eating cakes" are used instead of "ascending".
Nowadays, Chongyang cake has become a variety of soft cakes, as long as it is a pastry, it can be called Chongyang cake if you eat it on the day of Chongyang.
Eating Chongyang cake during the Double Ninth Festival indicates that the elderly can be healthy and healthy for a long time, so it is more about taking its meaning.
2. Drink chrysanthemum wine
There is also a custom of the Double Ninth Festival, that is, to drink the "Year of Chrysanthemum Wine", the ninth month of the lunar calendar, also known as the "Chrysanthemum Moon", drinking chrysanthemum wine during the Double Ninth Festival, is also a popular folk custom in ancient times. Jiujiu is homophonic with "Jiujiu", and it is also homophonic with "wine", so it is derived from the saying that Jiujiu wants to drink chrysanthemum wine.
According to the "Xijing Miscellaneous Records", it is said that "the chrysanthemum is Shushi, and the stems and leaves are picked, and the miscellaneous millet is brewed, and it is ripe on September 9 of the next year, and it is drunk, so it is called the chrysanthemum wine." Legend has it that drinking this "chrysanthemum wine" can prolong life.
The book records: "On September 9th, Pei Zhuyi, eat lotus bait, and drink chrysanthemum wine. clouds make people live longer"; According to the record of "Continuation of Qi Harmonic Records" written by Liang Guan Jun of the Southern Dynasty, "On the ...... of September 9, drinking chrysanthemum wine, the disaster can be eliminated."
Therefore, drinking chrysanthemum wine on the ninth day of September is more about the good wishes in my heart, hoping to live a long life, be healthy and long-lasting, and live younger and younger.
In early September, the Double Ninth Festival, everyone remembers to eat a little Chongyang cake, and in the future, the career can rise, step by step, on this day, remember to drink a little chrysanthemum wine, the old people in the family live for a long time, and at the same time can be healthy and smooth, and live longer than Nanshan.