Three food customs of the Double Ninth Festival

In ancient times, the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month was regarded as a major spring festival called Shangsi; the 9th day of the 9th lunar month was a major autumn festival known as Chongyang (Double Ninth Festival). The custom of going out for a walk in the spring during Shangsi was gradually replaced by the Qingming Festival, but the auspicious day of "the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month" remains an important festival for ethnic minorities such as the Zhuang, Li, and She. The 9th day of the 9th lunar month has always been valued by people because the day and month share the same number and it falls in autumn. The *I Ching* designates "nine" as a yang number, and since "nine" is the largest yang number, the double occurrence of nine is called "Chongjiu" (Double Nine), and the double occurrence of yang is called "Chongyang", which can arouse many associations among people. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, we enter the height of autumn, and the change of seasons evokes people's reflections on life. The interweaving of various emotions has made the Chongyang Festival develop into a festival focused on entertainment. There are three items in the festival's food customs, commonly known as the "Three Treasures".

First, people drink "chrysanthemum wine" on Chongyang. "Nine nine" is homophonous with "long long" (meaning longevity) and also with "wine", thus giving rise to the tradition of drinking chrysanthemum wine on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. In the golden autumn of the ninth lunar month, chrysanthemums bloom defiantly against the frost. Literati refer to the ninth lunar month as the "Chrysanthemum Month", ordinary people call chrysanthemums "nine flowers", and Beijing has adopted the chrysanthemum as one of its city flowers. Due to the chrysanthemum's unique nature of withstanding the cold, it has become a symbol of vitality. In ancient times, it had unusual cultural significance, being regarded as the "Guest of Longevity" and the "Immortal Grass", capable of making people remain strong in old age.

Second, people eat mutton noodles. "Sheep" (yang) is homophonous with "yang" (the yang in Chongyang), corresponding to the allusion of Chongyang. The noodles should be white noodles. "White" (bai) is like the character "hundred" (bai) with the top stroke removed, implying ninety-nine (a hundred minus one), corresponding to the "nine nine" allusion. In the capital, celebrating a 99-year-old's birthday is called "white longevity". Wealthy families can hold feasts featuring mutton on this day, with dishes such as quick-fried, roasted, and hotpot mutton, or even a whole lamb feast. Autumn is the season when sheep are the fattest, and mutton is warm in nature, which can ward off the cold.

Third, people eat flower cakes. The Chongyang Festival is a time to respect the elderly and climb heights to avoid misfortune. "Cake" (gao) is homophonous with "high" (gao), and also carries meanings such as "rising step by step" and "longevity reaching ninety-nine", so "Chongyang flower cakes" have become a popular festival food. In the clear and crisp autumn weather, people climb heights to bid farewell to the greenery of summer, taste flower cakes, admire chrysanthemums while reciting Tao Yuanming's poems, and hold various activities to respect and honor the elderly, filling the occasion with family affection. In southern China, there is a common custom of inserting dogwood to ward off evil on the Chongyang Festival, while in Beijing, the main focus is on respecting the elderly, so there is more chrysanthemum appreciation and less dogwood insertion.