【正文】 s book Yi Jing, or The Book of Changes, number 6 was thought to be of Yin character, meaning feminine or negative, while number 9 was thought to be Yang, meaning masculine or positive. So the number nine in both month and day create the Double Ninth Festival, or Chongyang Festival. Chong in Chinese means double. Also, as double ninth was pronounced the same as the word to signify forever, both are Jiu Jiu, the Chinese ancestors considered it an auspicious day worth celebration. That39。s why ancient Chinese began to celebrate this festival long time ago.The custom of ascending a height to avoid epidemics was passed down from long time ago. Therefore, the Double Ninth Festival is also called Height Ascending Festival. The height people will reach is usually a mountain or a tower. Ancient literary figures have left many poems depicting the activity. Even today, people still swarm to famous or little known mountains on this day.On this day, people will eat Double Ninth Gao (or Cake). In Chinese, gao (cake) has the same pronunciation with gao (height). People do so just to hope progress in everything they are engaged in. There is no fixed ways for the Double Ninth Cake, but super cakes will have as many as nine layers, looking like a tower.The Double Ninth Festival is also a time when chrysanthemum blooms. China boasts diversified species of chrysanthemum and people have loved them since ancient times. So enjoying the flourishing chrysanthemum also bees a key activity on this festival. Also, people will drink chrysanthemum wine. Women used to stick such a flower into their hair or hang its branches on windows or doors to avoid evilness.In 1989, the Chinese government decided the Double Ninth Festival as Seniors39。 Day. Since then, all government units, organizations and streets munities will organize an autumn trip each year for those who have retired from their posts. At the waterside or on the mountains, the seniors will find themselves merged into nature. Younger generations will bring elder ones to suburban areas or send gifts to them on this day.農(nóng)歷九月九日，為傳統(tǒng)的重陽節(jié)。因為古老的《易經(jīng)》中把“六”定為陰數(shù)，把“九”定為陽數(shù)，九月九日，日月并陽，兩九相重，故而叫重陽，也叫重九，古人認(rèn)為是個值得慶賀的吉利日子，并且從很早就開始過此節(jié)日?！　≡诠糯?，民間在重陽有登高的風(fēng)俗，故重陽節(jié)又叫“登高節(jié)”。相傳此風(fēng)俗始于東漢。唐代文人所寫的登高詩很多，大多是寫重陽節(jié)的習(xí)俗；杜甫的七律《登高》，就是寫重陽登高的名篇。登高所到之處，沒有劃一的規(guī)定，一般是登高山、登高塔?！　≡谶@一天，人們還有吃“重陽糕”的習(xí)俗。在漢語里，“糕”與“高”同音，”，人們會用“吃糕”代替“登高”，祝愿百事俱高。重陽糕又稱花糕、菊糕、五色糕，制無定法，較為隨意。最高的有九層，像一個塔?！　≈仃柟?jié)正是一年的金秋時節(jié)，菊花盛開，民間還把農(nóng)歷九月稱為“菊月”，在菊花傲霜怒放的重陽節(jié)里，觀賞菊花成了節(jié)日的一項重要內(nèi)容，當(dāng)然，人們也會喝一些菊花酒。女人會把茱萸插在頭上或掛在門口，可以避難消災(zāi)?！　〗裉斓闹仃柟?jié)，被賦予了新的含義，在1989年，我國把每年的九月九日定為老人節(jié)，傳統(tǒng)與現(xiàn)代巧妙地結(jié)合，成為尊老、敬老、愛老、助老的老年人的節(jié)日。全國各機(jī)關(guān)、團(tuán)體、街道，往往都在此時組織從工作崗位上退下來的老人們秋游賞景，或臨水玩樂，或登山健體，讓身心都沐浴在大自然的懷抱里；不少家庭的晚輩也會攙扶著年老的長輩到郊外活動或為老人準(zhǔn)備一些可口的飲食。Winter Solstice （冬至）As early as 2,500 years ago, about the Spring and Autumn Period (770476 BC), China had determined the point of Winter Solstice by observing movements of the sun with a sundial. It is the earliest of the 24 seasonal division points. The time will be each December 22 or 23 according to the Gregorian calendar.The Northern hemisphere on this day experiences the shortest daytime and longest nighttime. After the Winter Solstice, days will bee longer and longer. As ancient Chinese thought, the yang, or muscular, positive things will bee stronger and stronger after this day, so it should be celebrated.The Winter Solstice became a festival during the Han Dynasty (206 BC220 AD) and thrived in the Tang and Song dynasties (6181279). The Han people regarded Winter Solstice as a Winter Festival, so officials would organize celebrating activities. On this day, both officials and mon people would have a rest. The army was stationed in, frontier fortresses closed and business and traveling stopped. Relatives and friends presented to each other delicious food. In the Tang and Song dynasties, the Winter Solstice was a day to offer scarifies to Heaven and ancestors. Emperors would go to suburbs to worship the Heaven。 while mon people offered sacrifices to their deceased parents or other relatives. The Qing Dynasty (16441911) even had the record that Winter Solstice is as formal as the Spring Festival, showing the great importance attached to this day.In some parts of Northern China, people eat dumpling soup on this day。 while residents of some other places eat dumplings, saying doing so will keep them from frost in the uping winter. But in parts of South China, the whole family will get together to have a meal made of redbean and glutinous rice to drive away ghosts and other evil things. In other places, people also eat tangyuan, a kind of stuffed small dumpling ball made of glutinous rice flour. The Winter Solstice rice dumplings could be used as sacrifices to ancestors, or gifts for friends and relatives. The Taiwan people even keep the custom of offering ninelayer cakes to their ancestors. They make cakes in the shape of chicken, duck, tortoise, pig, cow or sheep with glutinous rice flour and steam them on different layers of a pot. These animals all signify auspiciousness in Chinese tradition. People of the same surname or family clan gather at their ancestral temples to worship their ancestors in age order. After the sacrificial ceremony, there is always a grand banquet.冬至，是我國農(nóng)歷中一個非常重要的節(jié)氣，也是一個傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日，至今仍有不少地方有過冬至節(jié)的習(xí)俗。冬至俗稱“冬節(jié)”、“長至節(jié)”、“亞歲”等。早在二千五百多年前的春秋時代，我國已經(jīng)用土圭觀測太陽測定出冬至來了，它是二十四節(jié)氣中最早制訂出的一個。時間在每年的陽歷12月22日或者23日之間?！　《潦潜卑肭蛉曛邪滋熳疃獭⒑谝棺铋L的一天，過了冬至，白天就會一天天變長。古人對冬至的說法是：陰極之至，陽氣始生，日南至，日短之至，日影長之至，故曰“冬至”。冬至過后，各地氣候都進(jìn)入一個最寒冷的階段，也就是人們常說的“進(jìn)九”，我國民間有“冷在三九，熱在三伏”的說法。現(xiàn)代天文科學(xué)測定，冬至日太陽直射南回歸線，陽光對北半球最傾斜，北半球白天最短，黑夜最長，這天之后，太陽又逐漸北移?！　≡谖覈糯鷮Χ梁苤匾?，冬至被當(dāng)作一個較大節(jié)日，曾有“冬至大如年”的說法，而且有慶賀冬至的習(xí)俗?！稘h書》中說：“冬至陽氣起，君道長，故賀。”人們認(rèn)為：過了冬至，白晝一天比一天長，陽氣回升，是一個節(jié)氣循環(huán)的開始，也是一個吉日，應(yīng)該慶賀?！稌x書》上記載有“魏晉冬至日受萬國及百僚稱賀……其儀亞于正旦?！闭f明古代對冬至日的重視?！　‖F(xiàn)在，一些地方還把冬至作為一個節(jié)日來過。北方地區(qū)有冬至宰羊，吃餃子、吃餛飩的習(xí)俗，南方地區(qū)在這一天則有吃冬至米團(tuán)、冬至長線面的習(xí)慣。各個地區(qū)在冬至這一天還有祭天祭祖的習(xí)俗。18