Why is the Double Ninth Festival the Elderly Day? What can we do for the elderly on the Double Ninth Festival?

The Double Ninth Festival is a traditional Chinese folk festival that originated from the worship of gods and immortals. It began in ancient times, spread in the Western Han Dynasty, and flourished after the Tang Dynasty. The festival is held on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month every year, also known as the "Double Ninth Festival". The Double Ninth Festival has become a festival to respect, honor, love and help the elderly. Why is the Double Ninth Festival the Elderly Day? Do you know?

Contents of this article

1. Why is the Double Ninth Festival also known as the Elderly Day?

2. What can we do for the elderly on Double Ninth Festival?

3. Is the Double Ninth Festival a legal holiday?

Why is Double Ninth Festival the Elderly Day?

The ninth day of the ninth lunar month is the traditional Double Ninth Festival in my country. The customs of the Double Ninth Festival include climbing high places to look far into the distance, appreciating chrysanthemums, inserting dogwood, eating Chongyang cakes, and drinking chrysanthemum wine. Therefore, the Double Ninth Festival is also called the "Climbing Festival", "Dogwood Festival", and "Chrysanthemum Festival". In 1989, the Chinese government officially designated the ninth day of the ninth lunar month as the "Chinese Senior Citizens' Day" and "Respect for the Aged Day". The Double Ninth Festival has become a festival to respect, honor, love, and help the elderly. On December 28, 2012, the "Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly" further clarified in law that the ninth day of the ninth lunar month every year is the Senior Citizens' Day.

What can we do for the elderly on Double Ninth Festival?

1. Give gifts. The simplest way to celebrate a festival is to give gifts. You can learn about your elders’ preferences or physical conditions in advance, and give them things they have always wanted but are reluctant to buy or eat, or skin care products and health products that are good for their health.
2. Send dogwood. There is a custom of inserting dogwood on Double Ninth Festival, so you can bring a branch of dogwood back for decoration, or buy medicinal tea, bracelets and sachets made of dogwood, which have the meaning of expelling wind evil. Dogwood has a strong fragrance and can improve eyesight, refresh the brain, remove heat, repel insects, remove dampness, expel wind evil, and can eliminate food stagnation and treat cold and heat.
3. Climb mountains to relax. There is a custom of climbing mountains on Double Ninth Festival. Climbing mountains means climbing high, which means rising step by step. If the elders in the family are in good health, then the whole family can go hiking and have a picnic together. If the elders are not in good health, then a simple relaxation or a one-day self-driving tour is very good.

Is Double Ninth Festival a legal holiday?

The Double Ninth Festival is neither a festival nor a legal holiday. The Double Ninth Festival is a traditional Chinese folk festival that originated from the worship of gods and immortals. It began in ancient times, spread in the Western Han Dynasty, and flourished after the Tang Dynasty. The festival is held on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month every year, also known as the "Double Ninth Festival" because the sun and the moon meet on the ninth day. In ancient times, there were folk customs such as climbing high to pray for blessings, appreciating chrysanthemums in autumn, pasting dogwood, offering sacrifices to ancestors and drinking, and praying for longevity. So far, the connotations of respecting the elderly, Double Ninth Festival banquets, gratitude, and respecting the elderly have been added. Climbing high to appreciate the autumn and being grateful and respecting the elderly are two important themes of the Double Ninth Festival.