The 9th day of the 9th lunar month is the traditional Chong Yang Festival， or Double Ninth Festival. It usually falls in October in the Gregorian calendar. In an ancient and mysterious① book Yi Jing， or The Book of Changes， number “6” was thought to be of Yin character， meaning feminine or negative， while number “9” was thought to be Yang， meaning masculine or positive. So the number nine in both month and day creates the Double Ninth Festival， or Chong Yang Festival. Chong in Chinese means “double.” Also， as double ninth was pronounced the same as the word to signify “forever”， both are “Jiu Jiu，” the Chinese ancestors considered it an auspicious day worth celebration. That’s why ancient Chinese began to celebrate this festival long time ago.
The custom of ascending② a height to avoid epidemics③ was passed down from long time ago. Therefore， the Double Ninth Festival is also called “Height Ascending Festival”. The height people will reach is usually a mountain or a tower. Ancient literary figures have left many poems depicting the activity. Even today， people still swarm to famous or little known mountains on this day to celebrate this festival.
On this day， people will eat Double Ninth Gao (or Cake). In Chinese， gao (cake) has the same pronunciation with gao (height). People do so instead of height ascending just to hope progress in everything they are engaged in. There is no fixed ways for the Double Ninth Cake， but super cakes will have as many as nine layers， looking like a tower.
The Double Ninth Festival is also a time when chrysanthemum④ blooms， so people call the 9th lunar month “Chrysanthemum Month”. Chinese people have loved chrysanthemum since ancient times， and enjoying the flourishing chrysanthemum also becomes a key activity on this festival. Also， people will drink chrysanthemum wine. Women used to stick such a flower into their hair or hang its branches on windows or doors to avoid evilness.
It is hard to say when these customs were created. But there are many old legends which are closely related to the Chong Yang Festival just as other traditional festivals.
According to one legend， in ancient times， there lived a man named Huan Jing. He was learning the magic arts from the celestial⑤ Fei Changfang. One day， the two were climbing a mountain. Fei Changfang suddenly stopped and looked very upset. He told Huan Jing， “On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month， disaster will come to your hometown. You must go home immediately.” He also gave Huan Jing a bag of dogwood⑥ leaves， a bottle of chrysanthemum wine， and told him to lead his countrymen to ascend a height to avoid the epidemic.
After hearing that， Huan Jing rushed home and asked the villagers to do exactly as his teacher said， and let them climb a nearby mountain. He distributed⑦ what the celestial gave him to the villagers and told them what to do. At noontime， when the Monster came to the foot of the mountain， he smelled a burst of dogwood odor and chrysanthemum wine taste. He stopped suddenly because of fearing those things terribly. Then Huan Jing descended from the mountain and killed the Monster by the magic sword his teacher sent to him. Therefore， people escaped the disaster.
Since then， the customs of climbing a mountain， carrying a spray of dogwood and drinking chrysanthemum wine were passed down from generation to generation and became the traditional activities of the Double Ninth Festival， to avoid evil spirits and misfortunes⑧.
Nowadays， Double Ninth Festival is given a new meaning. In 1989， the Chinese government decided the Double Ninth Festival as Seniors’ Day. Since then， all government units， organizations and streets communities will organize an autumn trip each year for those who have retired from their posts. At the waterside or on the mountains， the seniors will find themselves merged into nature. Many younger generations will bring elder ones to suburban⑨ areas or send gifts to them on this day.
① mysteriousadj. 神秘的
② ascendv. 攀登，登高
③ epidemicadj. 流行病，传染病
④ chrysanthemumn. 【植】菊
⑤ celestialn. 神仙
⑥ dogwoodn. 茱萸
⑦ distributev. 分发，分配
⑧ misfortunen. 不幸，恶运，灾难
⑨ suburbanadj. 郊区的，近郊的
重阳节
农历九月九日是传统的重阳节或九九节，阳历一般在十月。因为古老的《易经》中把“六”定为阴数，意为娇柔，阴性；而把“九”定为阳数，意为刚健，阳性。九月九日，日月并阳，两九相重，故而叫重九，也叫重阳。重的汉语意思为“双”。而且，“九九”的读音与“久久”（永远）相同，古人认为是个值得庆贺的吉利日子，并且从很早就开始过此节日。
在古代，民间在重阳节有登高以躲避灾病的习俗，这样的风俗一代代流传下来，因此重阳节又叫“登高节”。人们选择登高之处，一般是登高山、或是登高塔。古代文人骚客留下了许多描写这一风俗的诗歌。就是现在，许多人也都在这天登上大大小小的山来庆祝这个节日。
在这一天，人们还有吃“重阳糕”的习俗。在汉语里，“糕”与“高”同音，人们会用“吃糕”代替“登高”，祝愿百事俱高。重阳糕的制作又称花糕、菊糕、五色糕，制无定法，较为随意。最高的有九层，像一个塔。
重阳节正是一年的金秋时节，菊花盛开，因此人们还把农历九月称为“菊月”。自古以来，人们都很喜爱菊花，在菊花傲霜怒放的重阳节里，观赏菊花便成了节日的一项重要内容，当然，人们也会喝一些菊花酒。女人会把茱萸插在头上或挂在门口，可以避难消灾。
很难说这些习俗到底是什么时候开始的，但和大多数传统节日一样，重阳节也有许多古老的传说。
相传，古时候，有一个名叫桓景的人，他在仙人费长房那里学艺。一天，两人一起去爬山。忽然，费长房停了下来，显得心事重重。他对桓景说：“农历的九月初九，你的家乡将面临一场灾难。你现在必须马上动身回去。”并且给了他一包茱萸叶，一瓶菊花酒，让他带家乡父老登高避疫。
听完后，桓景匆忙赶回了家里，他按照师傅的吩咐，将村民领到附近的一座山上。他将仙长给他的东西一一分发给村民，并教他们如何做。中午时分，病魔刚扑到山下就闻到了阵阵茱萸奇香和菊花酒的气味，便戛然止步。这时，桓景追下山来，用师傅给的宝剑将病魔杀死。人们也因此逃过了这一劫难。
从此九月初九登高，插茱萸，饮菊花酒的风俗一代代流传了下来，也成了驱邪避难的传统活动。
今天的重阳节，被赋予了新的含义，在1989年，中国政府把每年的九月九日定为老人节，传统与现代巧妙地结合，成为尊老、敬老、爱老、助老的老年人的节日。自此，全国各机关、团体、街道，往往都在此时组织从工作岗位上退下来的老人们秋游赏景，或临水玩乐，或登山健体，让身心都沐浴在大自然的怀抱里；不少家庭的晚辈也会搀扶着年老的长辈到郊外活动或为老人准备一些可口的饮食。