宗教玄學
Double Ninth Festival and Macao’s Culture
The Double Ninth Festival重陽節 falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. According to the I Ching《易經》, the number “nine” stands for yang陽. As two nines coincide, the festival is named the Double Ninth Festival重陽節, also known as the Double Ninth Day重九. This festival holds a special place in Macao’s folk life: it is both an autumn occasion for remembering ancestors and paying respect to the deceased, as well as a time for families to climb hills and honour the elderly. For Portuguese‑speaking readers, a straightforward way to understand the Double Ninth Festival重陽節 is to draw a parallel with Portugal’s Dia de Todos os Santos on 1 November. Both festivals commemorate forebears, take place in late autumn, and centre on the family to keep memories alive.
Where does the Double Ninth Festival originate, and why do people climb heights?
The origins of the Double Ninth Festival 重陽節can be traced back to before the Qin Dynasty秦朝. As recorded in The Lü‑shi Chun‑qiu《呂氏春秋》, when harvests were abundant in the ninth lunar month, people held rituals to worship heaven and their ancestors to express gratitude.
As for the custom of climbing heights, the most widely‑told story comes from Continued Tales of the Strange續齊諧記 of the Southern Dynasties南朝, featuring the figure of Huan Jing桓景. During the Eastern Han Dynasty東漢, the Taoist priest Fei Changfang 費長房predicted that misfortune would befall Huan Jing’s桓景 household on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. He advised Huan Jing桓景 to take his family to climb a high hill and drink chrysanthemum wine to ward off calamity. Following this advice, Huan Jing led his whole family to climb the mountain on that day. When they returned home at dusk, they found all their livestock had died. From then on, climbing heights on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month to avoid epidemics became a folk custom.
Why do Macao residents pay homage to their ancestors on the Double Ninth Festival?
The Qingming Festival is the “spring memorial春祭”, while the Double Ninth Festival is the “autumn memorial秋祭”. This pattern of ancestral worship in spring and autumn is particularly prominent across the Lingnan region嶺南. In Macao, tomb‑sweeping on the Double Ninth Festival重陽節 is called bai shan拜山(visiting ancestral graves). Devoted descendants bring roast pork燒肉joss paper化寶紙錢, fresh flowers and fruit to pay respects at cemeteries including Cemitério de São Miguel Arcanjo, Cemitério Hau Sze and Cemitério Municipal de Coloane.
After tomb‑sweeping拜山, family members usually gather to share the sacrificial offerings祭品, or dine at restaurants for a roast‑meat feast燒味飯, symbolising the sharing of blessings and family unity. Macao also preserves a custom rarely seen elsewhere: on the Double Ninth Festival重陽節, many people go to Colina da Guia, climbing its steps to the summit. There, they join their hands in prayer and make silent wishes, hoping their dreams will come true.
What taboos are associated with the Double Ninth Festival?
In folk tradition, the Double Ninth Festival 重陽節is not purely a joyous celebration; it carries strong connotations of warding off misfortune and solemnity. The best‑known taboo is to avoid greeting others with “Happy holiday”. Ancient people believed that when two nines meet, yang energy reaches its peak, so it is inappropriate to offer wishes of “happiness”. Instead, people should wish one another “peace and health” or “good health”. Furthermore, tomb‑sweeping should be completed before 3 p.m., as yin energy 陰氣is said to grow in the hills after noon. When climbing hills, one should not call out fellow hikers’ full names loudly in the mountains. Chrysanthemums should not be given as gifts, since they are traditionally linked to memorial rituals.
How do Macao people celebrate the Double Ninth Festival?
Macao’s Double Ninth Festival 重陽節revolves around three key settings: cemeteries, mountain trails and tea houses. For hill‑climbing, Colina da Guia has long been the most popular spot. Around the Circuito de Manutenção da Colina da Guia and the lighthouse, crowds of residents, young and old, can be seen on the festival day. Long queues form at the Túnel Pedonal da Colina da Guia and the mountain cable‑car. In Taipa, the Taipa Grande walking trail is a favourite destination for residents of Coloane and Taipa. Stretching about four kilometres, the circular trail offers panoramic views of downtown Taipa and Coloane. Many people visit here for a stroll after tomb‑sweeping.
Regarding respect for the elderly and festival‑themed food, the pronunciation of “nine‑nine” sounds like “long‑lasting久久” in Chinese. Hence the Double Ninth Festival重陽節 carries the meaning of longevity. Macao has designated this day as the Dia do Idoso da Região Administrativa Especial de Macau. The Senior Citizens Association holds a carnival every year, where performances, exhibitions and game stalls spread the message of respecting and caring for the elderly, drawing over a thousand senior participants. Many families also arrange tea‑time gatherings and banquets with their elders on this day.
Are there similar cultural traditions in Portugal?
Portugal’s Dia de Todos os Santos echoes the Double Ninth Festival重陽節 in its social function. A national public holiday in Portugal, Dia de Todos os Santos sees families visiting cemeteries to honour their forebears through religious ceremonies and tomb‑sweeping, keeping the memory of the departed alive. Meanwhile, Portuguese children still uphold the tradition of Pão por Deus (meaning “Bread of God”): groups of children go door‑to‑door reciting short poems in exchange for bread, dried fruit, chestnuts or sweets. Though different in form from the Double Ninth Festival’s 重陽節spirit of respecting the elderly, this custom shares the same underlying purpose: on a specific autumn day, families and communities reaffirm their reverence for elders and ancestors.
The survival of the Double Ninth Festival重陽節 in Macao does not lie in elaborate rituals. Instead, it weaves three practices — ancestral worship, hill‑climbing and respect for the elderly — naturally into a single day. For Portuguese‑speaking communities living in Macao, the Double Ninth Festival 重陽節offers a window to understand Chinese family values and attitudes towards life and death. When compared with All Saints’ Day, we can see that these two cultures are remarkably close in how they remember those who have passed away.
