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Double Ninth Festival (Choyo no Sekku)

Also known as the Chrysanthemum Festival, this annual event of Chinese origin occurs on the 9th of the lunar Ninth Month

The Double Ninth Festival (Choyo no Sekku) is a festival celebrated on the Ninth of the lunar Ninth Month. Also known as the Chrysanthemum Festival, it is one of the five ceremonies traditionally held at the imperial court. Since ancient times, in the Chinese Yin-Yang tradition, odd numbers have been called "yang numbers" and have been regarded as auspicious. Double Ninth, or 9/9, when the two largest yang numbers overlap, is considered an especially auspicious day. In China, it was customary on this day to drink wine with chrysanthemum flowers soaking in the wine to flavor it. Drinking such wine was said to bring longevity and to protect against disasters.

       This tradition crossed over to Japan and became an annual court event during the Heian period. A chrysanthemum feast was held in the palace, where the emperor and his courtiers wrote poetry and drank chrysanthemum sake. In a later age, the custom of kisewata (chrysanthemums covered with cotton) was added. By covering chrysanthemums with cotton the night before the festival and then stroking the skin with this cotton on the morning of the festival, kisewata, it is said, extends life. Descriptions of this festival appear in The Diary of Murasaki Shikibu and other works.

       During the Edo period (1603-1867), the bakufu designated the Double Ninth Festival (along with Hinamatsuri and Tango) as one of the five seasonal festivals, and the festival became extensively celebrated by samurai families. Eventually, commoners took up the tradition, and customs such as decorating with chrysanthemums, drinking chrysanthemum sake, and cooking chestnut rice became common.

       In addition, there is a theory that the etymology of the term for the autumn harvest festival in the Kyushu region, "Kunchi," derives from the date of the Double Ninth Festival, "kunichi" (the 9th), and was adopted because the festival was held on 9/9 of the lunar calendar. Examples of this term include Nagasaki Kunchi, Sasebo Kunchi, Imari Kunchi, and Karatsu Kunchi.

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重陜和歌䌚の懐玙

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  • 9月9日に重陜神事が行われる。神前に菊花を䟛え、延呜長寿・灜難陀を祈願。境内で子どもらによる烏盞撲の取り組みが奉玍され、菊酒がふるたわれる。

  • 9月9日に神前に菊花を䟛え、菊の挿頭を付けお舞う重陜の舞楜が奉玍される。祭兞終了埌、菊酒がふるたわれる。

  • 9月9日に重陜の節䌚が行われる。法芁の埌、本堂の菊慈童像に菊の花を䟛え、謡ず舞を奉玍する。圓日限定の茱萞ぐみ袋が授䞎される有料。

  • 9月9日に五節句・重陜の節句が行われる。菊酒が振る舞われるほか、茱萞嚢しゅゆのう、菊の着せ綿、埌の雛食りなど、平安時代の宮䞭の颚習を再珟しおいる。

  • 重陜の節句の宮䞭行事、菊の着せ綿を再珟。毎幎9月9日より公開。

  • 10月18日旧暊9月9日に、菊䟛逊䌚が行われる。本堂で読経が行われ、境内で「金韍の舞」が奉挔。菊をかたどった「菊のお守り」が授䞎される。

  • 京郜垂芳光協䌚が季節の行事を玹介。 重陜の節句に関連する京郜垂内のむベント情報などを掲茉。

  • 重陜の節句の行事、楜しみ方に぀いお簡朔に玹介。

References

  1. 京郜府京郜文化博物通孊芞第䞀課 ç·š,京郜文化博物通
  2. 犏田アゞオ, 菊池健策, 山厎祐子, 垞光培, 犏原敏男 著,吉川匘文通
  3. サンプルペヌゞ「重陜」の項。
  4. サンプルペヌゞ「重陜」の項。
  5. サンプルペヌゞ「重陜」の項。