China Traditional Festival Activities - Double Ninth Hill-Climbing
重阳登高
The Double Ninth is the short form for The Double Ninth Festival, which refers to the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. "The Book of Changes" says nine is the biggest Yang number, so the ninth day of the ninth lunar month is called the double ninth. Double Ninth HIll-Climbing means to climb a hill on the Double Ninth Festival.
重阳即重阳节，它指的是农历每年的九月初九。因为《易经》中称为九为最大的阳数，故九月初九有重阳之名。重阳登高即指在重阳节这一天去登山。
Its Origin
历史起源
Double Ninth Hill-Climbing has a long history. It is said that on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month people not only climb a hill but "wear Cornus officinallis, eat lotus seeds and drink chrysanthemum liquid". It is recorded in the book "History of Chang'an" by Song Minqiu in the Northern Song that in the Han dynasty Chang'an was its capital, and a small hillock was near the city. People went to climb the hillock on every Double Ninth Festival to enjoy the beautiful scenery in autumn. Since the hill they climbed was a hillock, it is called " Hill-climbing".
重阳登高有十分悠久的历史。重阳节这一天，人们不仅会去登高，还会“佩茱萸，食蓬饵，饮菊花酒”。据北宋宋敏求的《长安志》记载，汉朝以长安为京城，在长安的附近有一个小高台，每到重阳节，人们便会纷纷登上小高台，欣赏秋天的美景，因为所登的山为小高台，故有“登高”之说。
About the festival Double Ninth Hill-Climbing there is a story. According to the story there was a man, Huan Jing in Runan in the period of the Eastern Han. He learned Taoist from the alchemist Fei Changfang. One day, Fei Changfang told Huan Jing that terrible disaster would happen to his family on the Double Ninth day, and if they wanted to avoid it, there was only one way that the whole family should climb up the mountain with crimson bags on the arm, in which should be the Cornus officiallis, and still they should drink the chrysanthemum liquid when they were up the hill. Huan Jing believed Fei Changfang, and did as what he was told completely. When darkness fell, the whole family went back home and found all the chickens, dogs and pigs etc. had died. Fei Changfang told Huan Jing that the animals died for them because Huan and his family followed his advice. People heard of the miraculous effect of climbing a hill and carrying Cornus officinallis on the Double Ninth Festival, and then Double Ninth Hill-climbing spread everywhere as a custom.
有关重阳节登高有这样一则故事。据这则故事称，东汉时，汝南人桓景跟随方士费长房学习道术。一天，费长房告诉桓景：重阳节这一天，你家有大灾，要想躲过此劫，只有一个方法，就是你们全家人都爬到一座高山上，手臂上系上绛色的袋子，袋子里面装上茱萸，到了山上后，还要饮菊花酒。桓景对费长房很信任，便一一照办了。到了晚上，他们全家人下山回到家里，这时，他们发现家里的鸡、狗、猪等家畜全都死了。费长房告诉桓景，这是因为你们听从了我的建议，所以由这些牲畜代你们去死了。因为听说重阳节登高、佩茱萸、饮菊花酒有如此神奇的功效，所以此后，重阳登高便成为一种习俗流行开来。
Colorful Double Ninth Hill-climbing
重阳登高活动内容丰富
When it came to Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, Double Ninth Hill-climbing was still very popular. In the Song dynasty, people carried Cornus officinallis, drank the chrysanthemum liquid and ate cake (this word has the pronunciation "Gao" as a Chinese character) as well while climbing, which symbolized to rise up step by step.
到了宋元明清时期，重阳登高之习仍盛行不衰。在宋代，人们不仅在重阳登高时佩茱萸，饮菊花酒，还要吃花糕，以象征步步升高。
A simple climbing activity combined with philosophy, legend and dietary habits produces the magnificent and colorful literature and enriches people's daily life. It is what the Double Ninth Hill-climbing is about. It may be just because of this, the Double Ninth Festival has been claimed as "Day of the Aged", and "Day of Climbing" since 1980s. It is promoted grandly in the country, which makes it continue playing the function to carry on civilization in the new time.
一项简单的登山活动，与哲学思想、神话传说、饮食习惯相结合，并由此产生了瑰丽多姿的文学艺术，给人们的日常生活增添了丰富多彩的内容，这正是重阳登高活动的魅力所在。也许正是基于此，自20世纪80年代开始，重阳节被正式命名为“老人节”、“登山节”，重阳登山活动在全国各地隆重地推广开来，使它在新的历史时期继续发挥着传承发明的功能。
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