There is a festival in China that has three names. It's known as the Chongyang Festival. Also, it is called the Double Ninth Festival because it falls on the ninth day of the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar (阴历). Finally it has been Senior's Day (老人节) since 1989. This year, it fell on Oct 23rd.
There are many traditions for this festival. In the past, people climbed mountains, drank chrysanthemum (菊花) wine, and wore a plant called zhuyu to celebrate it. Climbing mountains in autumn brings people close to nature and it's good for health. Both chrysanthemum and zhuyu are also clean plants and they can clean houses and make people healthy.
In China, nine has the similar pronunciation with the word "forever", meaning long life. So the Chinese government set the day as the Senior's Day in 1989—a day to respect the old. Many companies and communities organize autumn trips for old people. Young people bring elders to the countryside to enjoy nature. They also give them gifts.
In China, it is a tradition to respect old people. In the past, if young people didn't take good care of their parents, they would be seriously punished. Now we have the 24 Filial Exemplars (《新二十四孝》). It includes 24 things we should do for elders, such as calling them up every week and going to see them more often. On this three-named festival, remember to show your love to your elders.
