First, the origin of the Double Ninth Festival can be traced back to ancient times:
According to legend, Chongyang was a moment of enlightenment for Yuan Di, and there was a saying of offering sacrifices at that time. The existing written records about the activities of the Double Ninth Festival can be found in Lu Chunqiu Qiu Ji Ji: "In September, order the family to slaughter, prepare for farming, and introduce five essentials. The book of the Tibetan Emperor is collected in the Shengcang, and only (zhι) must be respected. " In other words, Osamu Tezuka must calculate the grain harvest after the end of farming; The income from the native land of the son of heaven is hidden in a sacred warehouse dedicated to storing food for sacrifice. "It was the moon of the Great Western Emperor (xi Ming), tasted the sacrifice and told the son of heaven." The son of heaven wanted to sacrifice to the five emperors and ordered the competent officials to sacrifice cattle and sheep to the gods. When it is finished, inform the son of heaven that the sacrifice is ready. It can be seen that at that time, there were already activities of offering sacrifices to the emperor and ancestors to thank them for their kindness when the crops were harvested in autumn and September. This is the primitive form of the ancient Double Ninth Festival as a sacrificial activity.
In the Miscellanies of Xijing written by Liu Xin at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, there is such a record: "On September 9, Pei Yun ate the bait and drank chrysanthemum wine, and the clouds made people live longer." It means wearing a bag containing dogwood, eating Chongyang cake and drinking chrysanthemum wine on the ninth day of September. It is said that it can make people live longer. It shows that as early as the Han Dynasty, there was a tradition of wearing Cornus officinalis on September 9, eating Peng bait similar to today's Chongyang cake and drinking osmanthus wine. According to legend, since then, there has been the custom of seeking longevity on the Double Ninth Festival. During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Pi, the Emperor of Wei Wen, wrote in Nine Days and Zhong You (yáo): "From year to month, I suddenly returned to September 9. Nine is the number of yang, and the sun and the moon coincide. It is well known and considered suitable for a long time, so it is a feast. " Cao Pi also regarded September 9th as a suitable time for feasting and gathering, which shows that festivals and customs had taken shape at that time. Worship of gods and ancestors, longevity, banquets, etc. , which constitutes the basic content of the Double Ninth Festival. The theme of the Double Ninth Festival is to seek longevity, insert dogwood, brew chrysanthemum wine, enjoy chrysanthemums and offer sacrifices to the gods. In the subsequent spread and evolution, respect for the elderly, climbing, night banquets and various games were added to enrich the meaning.
Second, the prototype of the Double Ninth Festival is the ancient fire ceremony:
"Fire", namely Xiuer, is the star that the ancients can clearly see with the naked eye, and it is also the time coordinate used by the ancients to determine the symbol of seasonal production and seasonal life. Retired in September and September. The retirement of Mars not only made the ancients who had always been marked by Mars lose the coordinates of time, but also made the ancients who regarded fire as a god feel inexplicable fear, because the dormancy of Vulcan meant the arrival of a long winter. Just as there should be a welcoming ceremony when a fire appears, people should also hold a corresponding farewell ceremony at this time. This kind of ceremony can find some traces of ancient customs from the customs of the Double Ninth Festival in later generations. For example, some areas in the south of the Yangtze River have the custom of offering sacrifices to stoves on the Double Ninth Festival, which shows some traces of "fire" in ancient September.
Third, the origin of the Double Ninth Festival is related to a handmaid in the Han Palace:
It is said that after Lv Hou killed Mrs. Qi, the love princess of Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, a maid around her was also implicated, was driven out of the palace, and married a poor man after living among the people. In order to live longer, she celebrates the Double Ninth Festival in the palace every year. Until she got married, she still celebrated the Double Ninth Festival on this day according to the rules of the palace. People have followed suit after hearing about it, so this custom is widely circulated among the people.
In 20 12, the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) designated the ninth day of the ninth lunar month as "Old People's Day", the same day as the Double Ninth Festival. Although the Double Ninth Festival lasts only one day, the atmosphere of respecting the elderly formed in society has far-reaching influence: in this festival, all the family and friends in the neighborhood go out to climb mountains and do aerobics. This reflects the harmony of family, neighborhood, community and even the whole society. In addition, the multiple profound cultural connotations and significance of the Double Ninth Festival, such as ancestor worship, deity worship, cautious pursuit of the future, and solid thinking about the source, still have far-reaching influence.
The custom of Double Ninth Festival
1, eat Chongyang cake
According to historical records, Chongyang cake, also known as flower cake, chrysanthemum cake and five-color cake, is made randomly. It was the original intention of the ancients to make cakes at dawn on September 9. The child put a cake on his head and said a word in his mouth, wishing the child all the best. Exquisite Chongyang cake should be made into nine layers, like a pagoda, with two lambs on it, which conforms to the meaning of Chongyang (sheep). Some people even put red paper flags on Chongyang cakes and light candles. This probably means "lighting a lamp" and "eating cakes" instead of "climbing", and using a red paper flag instead of dogwood.
Step 2 climb high
Double Ninth Festival means that the ninth day of the ninth lunar month is a traditional folk festival in China.
The Book of Changes defines "nine" as yang number, and the two yang numbers of "nine nine" are heavier, so it is called "Chongyang"; It is also called "Double Ninth Festival", because both the date and the month conform to nine. Returning to the truth of 1999, the ancients thought that 1999 Chongyang was an auspicious day.
3. Pei dogwood
The custom of inserting Evodia rutaecarpa was popular in ancient times, so it is also called Cornus Festival. As a medicine, Cornus officinalis can make wine, strengthen the body and get rid of diseases. People think that September 9 is also a day of disaster, so people like to wear dogwood to ward off evil spirits and seek good luck on the Double Ninth Festival. Therefore, Cornus officinalis is also called "evil spirit".
Step 4 enjoy chrysanthemums
The Double Ninth Festival has always had the custom of enjoying chrysanthemums, so it has been called Chrysanthemum Festival since ancient times. September of the lunar calendar, commonly known as Chrysanthemum Month, holds a chrysanthemum party on holidays, and people from all over the city go to the meeting to enjoy chrysanthemums. Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties in the Three Kingdoms, it has become fashionable for Chongyang parties to drink and enjoy chrysanthemums and recite poems.
In the historical development, the Double Ninth Festival is a blend of various folk customs, bearing rich cultural connotations and details. First of all, in the folk concept, "nine" is the largest number in the number and has a long-term meaning. People think that longevity means longevity. Therefore, the Double Ninth Festival is entrusted with people's wishes for the health and longevity of the elderly.