Why do people climb the mountains on Double Ninth Festival? There are many stories about this Chinese culture custom. After Double Ninth Festival, the “Frost’s Descent” will come. In most areas of China, ancient people will climb mountains to dig herbs, pick fruits and hunt animals before the coming of the “Frost’s Descent”. When the work of storing for winter was finished, people would drink alcohol and celebrate the harvest on mountains when they were free. They called this activity as “高山会” or “登山会” (meeting at mountains). According to another ancient record, Meng Jia was a famous scholar in East Jin Dynasty and grandfather of Tao Yuanming, the great poet. He used to be the general under the control of Huan Wen, the Defense Minister of Jin Dynasty. On the day of Double Ninth Festival, Huan Wen held a grand feast on Long Mountain. All the guests dressed very well, drank wines and wrote poems happily. Suddenly, the wind blew Meng Jia’s hat down, but Meng didn’t find that, for he had been a little drank. When the host Huan Wen saw this, he asked Sun Sheng to laugh at Meng. Sun then wrote an article to embarrass Meng. While Meng was clear in mind and wrote a beautiful article to answer Sun’s article. Because this article is very excellent and becomes popular later, from then on the story about Double Ninth Festival that one ascends a height so happily that he forgets his appearance has been spread and inherited till now.
Huan Jing killed the devil of pestilence.
The most popular Chinese culture story about Double Ninth Festival is a legend of Taoism in East Han Dynasty. Once upon a time, there was a man named Huan Jing who lived together with his family in Runan County. One year, pestilence bursted on the two sides of Ru River. People who caught the pestilence will be disabled or even lose their lives. Many residents of Runan died from it and so did Huan Jing’s parents.
Huan Jing is famous people in Chinese culture and histry. He heard from an old man that this was because the devil of pestilence who lived in Ru River would do evil things on the banks every year; he would bring pestilence wherever he went. Huan Jing then decided to learn magical skills and beat the devil for the people. When someone told him that there was an immortal named Fei Zhangfang lived in Southeast Mountain who had super magical skills, Huan set off to visit him and learn the magical skills that can kill devils.
After entering the mountains, Huan went through much suffering and walked many roads, but he couldn’t find the immortal until a white pigeon led him to an ancient palace with five golden Chinese characters “费长房仙居” on the gate. After Huan waited outside the palace for two days quietly, an old man with white hair and beard went out the palace and smiled, “you have been proved to have faith in beating devils for the people. You can come with me.” Then Huan became the student of Fei Zhangfang, the immortal. The master gave him a green dragon sword. Huan spent great efforts in learning kongfu and magical skills. After one year, Fei Zhangfang told Huan, “this 9th, September lunar, the devil of pestilence will come out again, you should go back to your hometown and beat the devil for the people. I will give you a bag of cornel leaves, a bottle of chrysanthemum wine and let people in your hometown get rid of the disaster by ascending a height.” After Huan went back his hometown and led people to climb on a mountain nearby. He asked people to bring a cornel leaf with them and drink the chrysanthemum wine. Then he brought the green dragon sword to fight with the devil. The devil was feared by the smell of cornel and chrysanthemum wine and finally killed by Huan. So when Double Ninth Festival Chinese people hang cornel leaf out of the door, they believe it can protect them safe.
From then on people will bring cornels and chrysanthemum wine and ascend a height in order to avoid bad luck every 9th, September lunar. Therefore, people also call this day “登高避难节”, and “登高节” for short.
This story about Double Ninth Festival seems to be ridiculous. But its connotation is to ask people to go outside, have fresh air and travel around to strengthen physical health. Because in the end of autumn, the climate will become dry and pestilence is easy to be spread.