Chongyang Festival-Themed Blind Boxes

Chongyang Festival-Themed Blind Boxes

“重阳盲盒”里有什么？“拆开”瞧瞧吧！

 

The 9th day of the 9th lunar month is the traditional Chongyang Festival in China, or the Double Ninth Festival, which falls on Oct 14 this year.

农历九月初九，是中国的传统节日——重阳节。

 

In the ancient Chinese book Yi Jing, or The Book of Changes, number "9" is thought to be Yang, meaning "masculine" or "positive". Therefore, the 9th day of the 9th lunar month in China is often known as the Chongyang Festival (Chong means "double"), or the Double Ninth Festival. Chinese ancestors considered it an auspicious day.

古人认为，九九重阳节是吉祥的日子。数字“九”在《易经》中为阳数，“九九”两阳数相重，故曰“重阳”；因日与月皆逢九，故又称为“重九”。

 

Do you know the customs of the festival?

你知道重阳节的习俗有哪些吗?

 

Let's find them out in the following blind boxes!

一起来拆盲盒、学习俗、体验“重阳”文化吧！

 

Appreciating chrysanthemums

赏菊

All along, it is customary to appreciate chrysanthemums during the Chongyang Festival. Originated in China, chrysanthemum, also known as "yellow flower", has various species in the composite family. China enjoys a long history of growing chrysanthemums. The China Kaifeng 39th Chrysanthemum Culture Festival also gets set to kick off on October 18 in Kaifeng, an ancient capital city for 8 dynasties.

重阳节赏菊，是一大重要习俗。菊花又叫黄花，属菊科，品种繁多。中国是菊花的故乡，培种菊花自古有之。值得一提的是，中国开封第39届菊花文化节也将于10月18日至11月18日在八朝古都开封隆重举行。

 

Climbing mountains

登高

The Chongyang Festival is also called the Mountain-climbing Festival. An important reason that climbing mountains is valued by the Chinese people, especially by the elderly, during the festival is that it means "climbing to longevity".

重阳节又名“登高节”。登高既能制造节日氛围，又能锻炼身体。登高之所以受到人们的青睐，尤其是老年人，是因为人们认为登高还意寓“登顶长寿”。

 

Wearing dogwood

佩茱萸

Ancient Chinese people believed that wearing dogwood during the Chongyang Festival could prevent them from diseases and disasters due to its functions of expelling insects, getting rid of humidity, helping digestion and curing inner heat. The custom of wearing dogwoods was already very popular in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

茱萸具有驱虫去湿，助消化去内热的功效。人们认为在重阳节这一天佩茱萸可以避难消灾。到了唐代，重阳佩茱萸的习俗已经极为流行。

 

Enjoying chrysanthemum wine

饮菊酒

It has long been regarded as customary for the Chinese people to enjoy chrysanthemum wine during the Chongyang Festival. It was seen as a "lucky wine" in ancient China because it was said that drinkers of the chrysanthemum wine would be free from evils.

重阳佳节，中国也有饮菊花酒的传统习俗。菊花酒，在古代被看作是重阳必饮、祛灾祈福的“吉祥酒”。

 

Eating Double Ninth cake

吃重阳糕

Dating back to the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-256 BC), the Double Ninth cake is also known as the chrysanthemum cake or the flower cake, prevailing especially in North China. "糕" (cake) shares the pronunciation with "高" (high, tall). Therefore, the Double Ninth cake has been favored by the Chinese people for its auspiciousness.

重阳糕又名“菊花糕”或“花糕”，历史可以追溯到周朝。在北方，重阳节吃重阳糕是一种传统习俗。“糕”与“高”谐音，吃糕是为了取吉祥之意，因而受到人们的青睐。

 

Respecting the aged

敬老

In modern times, the 9th day of the 9th lunar month has seen as a day for respecting the aged, since "九九" (double ninth) is pronounced the same as "久久" (longevity or lasting forever).

“九九”谐音“久久”，寓意生命长久、健康长寿。因此，九月初九也被赋予了敬老节的新含义。（文字/赵汉青 视频/实习生王君艺 审校/张军平）