The Chongyang Festival falls on the 9^th day of the 9^th lunar month, so it is also called the Double Ninth Festival which is based on the theory of Yin and Yang, the two opposing principles in nature. Yin is feminine, negative principle, while Yang is masculine and positive. The ancient Chinese believed that all natural phenomena could be explained by this theory. Numbers are related to the theory too. Even numbers belong to Yin and odd numbers to Yang. The 9th day of the 9th month is a day when the two Yang numbers meet. So it is called Chongyang. Chong means double in Chinese. Some will carry a spray of dogwood (A plant with a strong fragrance, is often used as a Chinese herbal medicine. People believed it could drive away evil spirits and prevent one from getting a chill in late autumn.). This day is perfect for outdoor activities. Many people go hiking and climbing in the country, enjoying Mother Nature’s final burst of color before she puts her dull winter cloak.

             Here is a story: In ancient times, there lived a man called Huan Jing who was learning magic from Fei Changfang, who had become an immortal after many years of practicing Taoism. One day the two were climbing a mountain when Fei said, “On the 9^th day of the 9^th month, disaster will come to your hometown. You must go home and make a red flag for each one of your family members and put a spray of dogwood in every one. Then you must all tie your bags to your arms, leave home quickly and climb to the top of a mountain. Most importantly you must all drink some chrysanthemum wine. Only by doing so can your family avoid this disaster.

             Huan Jing rushed home and asked his family to do exactly as his teacher said. The whole family climbed a nearby mountain and did not return until the evening. When they got back home, they found all their animals dead. Fei said the poultry and livestock died in place of their family.

             Now people go climbing to get some exercise as well as enjoy the autumn scenery. People live in place with no mountains will also go for an outing or a picnic and eating cakes. The Chinese word for cake is “Gao”, a homonym of the Chinese word for “high”. Mountains are high, so eating cake can, by a stretch of the imagination, take the place of going for a climb.

             Since nine is the highest odd digit, people take two of them together to signify longevity. Therefore, the 9^th day of the 9^th month has become a special day for people to pay their respects to the elderly and a day for the elderly to enjoy themselves. It has also been declared China’s day for the elderly.