One of my favorite aspects of living and studying in China is that I get to learn about and take part in holidays that are completely new and very exciting for me. While some Chinese holidays such as New Year, the Moon Festival and the Dragon Boat festival I had known before arriving in China, there are also some lesser-known holidays such as the one that I will introduce today, 重阳节 (Chóngyángjié) the Double Ninth holiday.

So, what exactly is 重阳节 (Chóngyángjié) the Double Ninth holiday and what is the story behind it? As you may have guessed, "double ninth" refers to the ninth day of the ninth lunar month of the year, or September 9th to be more exact. And what's the story behind it? Well, the festival began between 500 and 200 B.C. during the Warring States period. According to classical Chinese philosophy, nine is a "yang" number and therefore 9/9 is a dangerous date that needs to be balanced out with certain activities. According to legend, there was a man named Huan Jing. He was a student of an immortal magician. Attempting to seek magical powers and immortality, the magician gave Huan Jing a list of activities which are still practiced today to overcome the "dangers" of the Double Ninth.

Four activities that I have been introduced to on the Double Ninth holiday include:

1. 登高 (Dēnggāo) Climbing mountains

Zài zhōngguó, chóngyángjié rénmen yǒu dēnggāo de xísú.
在   中国，        重阳节          人们      有    登高       的 习俗。
In China, people used to climb mountains on the Double Ninth Festival.

According to legend, Huan Jing and the immortal magician were hiking up a mountain when the magician told him of what he must do to …Read more