Double Ninth Festival（重阳节）
Remembering My Brethren on Double Ninth Day (九月九日忆山东兄弟)
Wang Wei (王维)
dú zài yì xiāng wéi yì kè
独在异乡为异客，
měi féng jiā jié bèi sī qīn
每逢佳节倍思亲。
yáo zhī xiōng dì dēng gāo chù
遥知兄弟登高处，
biàn chā zhū yú shǎo yī rén
遍插茱萸少一人。
A stranger alone in a foreign land,
Longing for my kinsfolk at every festive event.
Knowing my brothers, far away, are climbing the mountain,
Carrying many dogwood sprays without my presence.
The Double Ninth Festival or Chongyang Festival (重阳节) falls on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month in the Chinese calendar, or October 18th this year. Wang Wei composed this poem when he was only seventeen years old. It was probably written when Wang Wei was sitting for the Imperial Examination in Chang’an, which was then the world’s most cosmopolitan city during the Tang period. Despite all the city’s attractions, he must have felt like “a stranger alone in a foreign land”. The poem succinctly articulates the sentiments of all the young foreign students studying in Hainan universities who are homesick!
重阳 is made up of two Chinese characters 重 [chong], which means double or repeated, and 阳 [yang], which means the active masculine force in Chinese cosmology. Hence, 重阳 literally means ‘Double Yang’. In ancient Chinese cosmology, as recorded in the I Ching (Book of Changes), the number 9 is the largest single-digit odd number, and odd numbers are associated with the ‘yang’ force (while even numbers are associated with the ‘yin’ force). When the yang day and yang month overlap on the 9th day of the 9th month, you get ‘Double Yang’— Chongyang (重阳).
The festival's practices had evolved from its earliest form linked to autumn harvest celebrations. The belief that the 9th day of the 9th lunar month was significant can be traced back to the Warring States Period (475–221 BC); the tradition of climbing mountains and carrying dogwood sprays gain popularity during the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC–8 AD); the name "Chongyang" first appeared in writing from the Three Kingdoms period (220–280 AD); and the custom of drinking chrysanthemum wine became well-established by the Jin Dynasty (265–420 AD). It became widely celebrated by both the royal court and the general public when it was officially designated as a formal holiday during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD).
The festival’s purpose has also transformed over time. Initially, the "Double Yang" day was viewed with anxiety as the peaking of yang energy was thought to be potentially hazardous. Hence, the early practices of climbing mountains and carrying dogwood sprays were to ward off danger. Perception shifted to positive over time. Because number 9 is a homophone of ‘long-lasting’ (久, jiǔ), the festival gradually became associated with longevity and good health, leading to the festival's modern connection of respecting and caring for the elderly, which was formally recognized when China designated it as ‘Senior Citizens' Day’ in 1989. The festival was inscribed on China's list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2006.
The number 9 was of great symbolic importance in China. It was considered the ultimate "yang" number, representing Heaven. It also symbolized the emperor's supreme authority as he was considered the ‘Son of Heaven’. The word for nine (jiǔ) is a homophone for ‘long-lasting’, adding another layer of blessing. Hence, the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, where emperors used to perform winter solstice ceremonies, used the number 9 as its central design principle. The Circular Mound Altar(圜丘坛) of the temple is an outdoor, three-tiered marble platform. The top terrace begins with a central stone, surrounded by the first ring of 9 stones. The second ring has 18, the third has 27, and so on, up to the ninth outermost ring, which has 81stones. This pattern is repeated across all three tiers. Each of the four staircases leading up to each level has 9 steps; the number of pillars in the balustrades is also a multiple of 9; and the total number of marble flagstones across the entire three-tiered altar is 3,402, which is also a multiple of 9.
If you feel homesick on October 18, please remember to recite Wang Wei’s Double Ninth poem, and if you decide to visit Beijing during its best autumn season, please remember to visit the Temple of Heaven and offer a prayer for the blessing of your kinsfolk at home!
Remembering My Brethren on Double Ninth Day (九月九日忆山东兄弟)
Wang Wei (王维)
dú zài yì xiāng wéi yì kè
独在异乡为异客，
měi féng jiā jié bèi sī qīn
每逢佳节倍思亲。
yáo zhī xiōng dì dēng gāo chù
遥知兄弟登高处，
biàn chā zhū yú shǎo yī rén
遍插茱萸少一人。
A stranger alone in a foreign land
Longing for my kinsfolk at every festive event
Knowing my brothers far away are climbing the mountain
Carrying many dogwood sprays without my presence
The Double Ninth Festival (Chongyang Festival, 重阳节) falls on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month in the Chinese calendar or October 18th this year. Wang Wei composed this poem when he was only seventeen years old. It was probably written when Wang Wei was sitting for the Imperial Examination in Chang’an, which was then the world’s most cosmopolitan city. Despite all the city’s attractions, he must have felt like “a stranger in a foreign land”. The poem succintly articulates the sentiments of all the young foreign students studying in Hainan universities who are homesick!
重阳 is made up of two Chinese characters 重 [chong], which means double or repeated, and阳 [yang], which means the active masculine force in Chinese cosmology. Hence, 重阳 literally means ‘Double Yang’. In ancient Chinese cosmology, as recorded in the I Ching (Book of Changes), the number 9 is the largest single-digit odd number, and odd numbers are associated with the ‘yang’ force (while even numbers are associated with the ‘yin’ force). When the yang day and yang month overlap on the 9th day of the 9th month, you get ‘Double Yang’ — Chongyang (重阳).
The festival's practices had evolved from its earliest form linked to autumn harvest celebrations. The belief that the 9th day of the 9th lunar month was significant can be traced back to the Warring States Period (475–221 BC); the tradition of climbing mountains and carrying dogwood sprays gain popularity during the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC–8 AD); the name "Chongyang" first appeared in writing from the Three Kingdoms period (220–280 AD); and the custom of appreciating chrysanthemums and drinking wine became well-established by the Jin Dynasty (265–420 AD). It became widely celebrated by both the royal court and common folks when it was officially designated as a formal holiday during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD).
The festival’s purpose has also transformed over time. Initially, the "Double Yang" day was viewed with anxiety as the peaking of yang energy was thought as potentially hazardous. Hence, the early practices of climbing mountains and carrying dogwood sprays were to ward off danger. Perception shifted to positive over time. Because number 9 is a homophone of ‘long-lasting’ (久, jiǔ), the festival gradually became associated with longevity and good health, which led to the festival's modern connection to respecting and caring for the elderly, a link that was formally recognized when China designated it as ‘Senior Citizens' Day’ in 1989. The festival was inscribed on China's list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2006.
The number 9 was of great symbolic importance in China. It was considered the ultimate "yang" number, representing Heaven. It also symbolized the emperor's supreme authority as he was considered the ‘Son of Heaven’. The word for nine (jiǔ) is a homophone for ‘long-lasting’, adding another layer of blessing. Hence, the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, where emperors used to perform winter solstice ceremonies, used the number 9 as its central design principle. The Circular Mound Altar (圜丘坛) of the temple is an outdoor, three-tiered marble platform. The top terrace begins with a central stone, surrounded by the first ring of 9 stones. The second ring has 18, the third has 27, and so on, up to the ninth outermost ring, which has 81 stones. This pattern is repeated across all the three tiers. Each of the four staircases leading up to each level has 9 steps; the number of pillars in the balustrades are also in multiples of 9; and the total number of marble flagstones across the entire three-tiered altar is 3,402, which is also a multiple of 9.
If you feel homesick on October 18, please remember to recite Wang Wei’s Double Ninth poem, and if you decide to visit Beijing during its best autumn season, please remember to visit the Temple of Heaven and offer a prayer for the blessing of your kinsfolk at home!
Submit Cancel