Paying Respect to the Dead: Chung Yeung Festival

Description

Taking place on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, the Chung Yeung festival is a centuries-old festival–it can be found mentioned in written documents that date to before the East Han period (before AD 25).

Chinese traditionally believe that the dead continue to exist alongside the living and need to be taken care of as they can influence the fortunes of the living. As the double nine date is considered a particularly inauspicious time, families counter the possible bad luck on the day by climbing to high ground, where they customarily drink drink chrysanthemum wine. Today, Chinese families also take the opportunity to visit grave sites, which are often located in rural areas.