Double Ninth Festival (重陽節)

How the festivals began

In the Book of Changes, nine is the full yang number. When the ninth day meets the ninth month, two yangs come together, so the day is called Chongyang, 'double yang', also known as Double Nine (重九).

Like Qingming (清明), this is a day for honouring ancestors and tending their graves. Many places also treat it as a day for respecting elders. In Hong Kong and Macau it is a public holiday; in Taiwan, families hold ancestor rites and communities honour older people.

Traditional customs

Traditions include climbing high, sweeping the family graves and admiring chrysanthemums. Some wear dogwood (茱萸), a fragrant plant. Many share Chongyang cake (重陽糕), a steamed festival cake whose name carries the wish to rise step by step. The autumn air is fresh and clear, and families walk up the hills together. At the graves they clear the grass, light incense and offer flowers, remembering those who came before. Many also visit older relatives on this day to show their care. In southern China and Hong Kong, people often go grave-sweeping in the hills around this time, and Chinese communities around the world keep the day in their own ways.