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Chongyang (Double Ninth Festival)
The Double Ninth Festival — honoring the elderly and climbing to high places.
📅 October 2🌙 Lunar calendar
✦ Why It Matters
The Double Ninth Festival falls on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month. Nine is a yang number, so two nines (double yang) are considered potentially dangerous — hence traditions to ward off evil. It is also a day to honor elderly relatives and climb mountains or hills.
✦ How It Is Observed
Climbing mountains or hills, wearing chrysanthemum flowers, drinking chrysanthemum wine, eating chongyang cakes, visiting and honoring elderly family members, ancestor veneration.
✦ Sacred Text
“The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things without trying to. It flows to low places loathed by all men. Therefore, it is like the Tao.”
— Tao Te Ching, Chapter 8 ↗
Note on dates: This holiday follows a lunar or lunisolar calendar. The date shown is approximate for 2025–2026. Exact dates may vary by one or two days depending on moon sighting and regional tradition. Always confirm with your local community.