During the festival, drinking chrysanthemum wine is a popular custom. The wine is made of steeping chrysanthemum in the alcohol, but the method varies in different times. In the Jin Dynasty, people mix the leaves and stems of chrysanthemum with grain and brew until the September of the following year, while in the Ming Dynasty, chrysanthemum was decocted and brewed with rice and yeast, and sometimes herbs such as Dihuang (rehmannia), Danggui (angelica) and Gouqu (Matrimony vine) are added into the wine. It is said that drinking chrysanthemum wine on this day can help prolong life.

The custom of admiring chrysanthemum has also been handed down to today. In September, which was named “Chrysanthemum month” in ancient times, various kinds of chrysanthemum were all in full bloom, and almost every city in China organizes chrysanthemum exhibition in parks. Though numerous in types and various in colors, the most common kind of chrysanthemum is yellow, that is why in some regions it is also called “Yellow Flower” and the festival is called Yellow Flower Day.

Another festival custom is eating Chongyang Cake, for the Chinese word “Gao” (cake) is the homonym of the word height, suggesting progress and prosperity. People make steamed cakes from Jiangmi rice, yellow rice, small date and etc, with colorful flags on their tops, which are named “Hua Gao”. The cakes are given to friends and relatives as gifts and taken when climbing mountains. Those who live in the plains eat these cakes instead of climbing mountains. In some places, the married daughters are to be taken home to enjoy the cakes, so the day is also called Daughters’ Day there.