Did You Know? Taiwan’s Double Ninth Festival Is Also Senior Citizens’ Day

This Sunday, October 18, is the ninth day of the ninth lunar month: 重陽節 (Chóngyáng Jié), the Double Ninth Festival. In Taiwan it’s also Senior Citizens’ Day, and the reason comes down to a pun.

Why Two Nines Mean “Live Long”

In traditional yin-yang counting, nine is the biggest yang number, so a day with two of them is “double yang,” which is literally what chóngyáng means. Say “nine nine” (九九, jiǔjiǔ) out loud and it sounds just like 久久, “for a long, long time.” A date that sounds like long life was always going to end up honoring the people who’ve lived the longest. In 1974 Taiwan made it official and named the Double Ninth 敬老節, Respect for the Elderly Day. Most people just call it 老人節.

What Actually Happens

• Cash gifts from city hall. Local governments hand out 重陽敬老禮金, Double Ninth cash gifts, to older residents. Who qualifies and how much they get depends on the city or county, so every October brings a fresh round of headlines comparing amounts.
• Community celebrations. Neighborhoods honor golden-anniversary couples and visit their 100-year-olds.
• Climbing high. The oldest Double Ninth custom is 登高, heading up a hill. For Taipei families that often means a walk on Yangmingshan.
• Chrysanthemum tea. The festival lands in chrysanthemum season. Most people drink the tea, and a few traditional households still make chrysanthemum wine.
• Kites. There’s an old Taiwanese saying for this time of year: 九月九，風吹滿天哮. Roughly, “ninth day, ninth month, kites howl across the sky.” 風吹 (hong-tshue) is the Taiwanese word for kite, and the strong autumn winds make this classic kite weather.

It’s Mazu’s Day, Too

Lunar 9/9 is also the day the sea goddess Mazu is said to have ascended to heaven. In the legend, she told her family she wanted to “climb high” for Chongyang, walked to the top of a mountain, and rose into the clouds while music played from the sky. Her devotees mark it as her ascension day. If Mazu’s story is new to you, our Mazu pilgrimage guide is a good place to start.

One Etiquette Tip: Tea, Not a Bouquet

Chrysanthemum tea is a lovely Double Ninth gift. A bunch of chrysanthemums is not. For many older Taiwanese, white and yellow chrysanthemums are funeral flowers, and a well-meant bouquet can land very badly. Our Taiwan gift-giving etiquette guide lists more gifts to skip.

The takeaway: Call your 阿公 and 阿嬤 (grandpa and grandma) this Sunday, or better still, take them for a walk somewhere high. If you’d like something to pour that chrysanthemum tea into, our Taiwan Illustrated Treasure Map mug makes a pretty good grandparent gift.