The Chongyang Festival is a traditional Chinese festival. It is celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar阴历 month. It's also called the Double Ninth Festival.
The festival started as early as the Warring States Period 475-221BC. It has a history of more than 1, 700 years. Among the numbers from zero to nine, nine is the highest odd number奇数. People believe that two "ninths" meeting together stand for a long life. So it is a special holiday for Chinese people to show love and respect for their elders. They hold many kinds of activities in honor of old people to wish them good health and a long life.
The festival comes during the golden time of fall. On the day, people traditionally drink Chrysanthemum菊花wine, eat Double-Ninth Cakes and climb mountains. They also carry a kind of plant, its name is dogwood, People in ancient times believed that the plant could drive away evil邪恶的 spirits and prevent them from catching an illness in winter.
