About: Chung Yeung Festival

The Double Ninth Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday observed on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese calendar. According to Wu Jun, it dates back to the Eastern Han dynasty. According to the I Ching, nine is a yang number; the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese calendar has extra yang and is thus an auspicious date. Hence, the day is also called "Double Yang Festival". It is customary to climb a mountain, drink chrysanthemum liquor, and wear the zhuyu plant Cornus officinalis. On this holiday, some Chinese also visit the graves of their ancestors to pay their respects. In Hong Kong and Macau, whole extended families head to ancestral graves to clean them and repaint inscriptions and lay out food offerings such as roast suckling pig and fruit, which are then eaten. Chongyang cake is also popular. Incense sticks are burned.