重阳节，秋高气爽，登高远望，畅饮菊花酒，遍插茱萸头……这个古老节日的起源和传说，你还记得吗？

The Double Ninth Festival - the ninth day of the ninth lunar month

The "Chong Yang Festival" is celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, and it is as such known as the Double Ninth Festival.

起源：重阳节是九月初九，略懂周易的同学肯定知道，9是阳数中最大的一个，九月初九，自然就“重阳”了么。

Origins: The festival began as early as the Warring States Period (475 - 221 BC). According to the yin/yang dichotomy that forms a basis to the Chinese world view, yin represents the elements of darkness and yang represents life and brightness. The number nine is regarded as yang. The ninth day of the ninth month is a double yang day, hence the name "Chong Yang Festival". (Chong means "repeat" in Chinese.) The ninth month also heralds the approach of winter. It is a time when the living need warm clothing, and filial Chinese sons and daughters extended this to make the festival a time for providing winter clothes for their ancestors. The Double Ninth Festival, therefore, also became an occasion to visit the graves of dead family members. Clothes made of paper would then be burnt as offerings.

习俗：登高、赏菊花、差茱萸……这些古老的习俗，你体验过吗？

Climbing mountains: On the Double Ninth Festival, people customarily climb mountains, appreciate chrysanthemum flowers, drink chrysanthemum wine, eat double-ninth cakes, and wear the zhuyu (茱萸) plant, Cornus officinalis. (Both chrysanthemum and zhuyu are considered to have cleansing qualities and are used on other occasions to air out houses and cure illnesses.). The Double Ninth Festival is also the "Old Men Festival". Old people are especially meant to improve their health by taking part in the activities on the day of the festival.

Family get-togethers: The Double Ninth Festival is also a time for family get-togethers. It is an occasion to remember one's ancestors, the sacrifices they made and the hardships they underwent. Often, family outings are organized during which people search to renew their appreciation of nature and to reaffirm their love and concern for family members and close friends.

注释：

1、提到表示某个传统节日时，一定不能用英语单词中现成的月份，比如今天的重阳节就不说September 9。所以这里用的是the ninth day of the ninth lunar month。

2、The Warring States Period就是中国的战国时期了，春秋时期就是The Spring and Autumn Period。

3、yin和yang这两个词很多外国人是懂的，别以为他们不懂。在CSI的一集里，Gil和Catherine调查一桩用钝器（猜测是锤子）谋杀的案件，他们在比较死者头部的伤口和在现场发现的锤子的时候需要做模型，Gil冲着Catherine说："I've got the yang, and you've got the yin."

4、中国有句话叫"百善孝为先，"英语可以粗略的翻译成Among all the virtues, filial piety is the best.

The 9th day of the 9th lunar month is the traditional Chongyang Festival, or Double Ninth Festival. It usually falls in October in the Gregorian calendar. In an ancient and mysterious book Yi Jing, or The Book of Changes, number "6" was thought to be of Yin character, meaning feminine or negative, while number "9" was thought to be Yang, meaning masculine or positive. So the number nine in both month and day create the Double Ninth Festival, or Chongyang Festival. Chong in Chinese means "double." Also, as double ninth was pronounced the same as the word to signify "forever", both are "Jiu Jiu," the Chinese ancestors considered it an auspicious day worth celebration. That's why ancient Chinese began to celebrate this festival long time ago.

农历九月九日，为传统的重阳节。因为古老的《易经》中把“六”定为阴数，把“九”定为阳数，九月九日，日月并阳，两九相重，故而叫重阳，也叫重九，古人认为是个值得庆贺的吉利日子，并且从很早就开始过此节日。

The custom of ascending a height to avoid epidemics was passed down from long time ago. Therefore, the Double Ninth Festival is also called "Height Ascending Festival". The height people will reach is usually a mountain or a tower. Ancient literary figures have left many poems depicting the activity. Even today, people still swarm to famous or little known mountains on this day.

在古代，民间在重阳有登高的风俗，故重阳节又叫“登高节”。相传此风俗始于东汉。唐代文人所写的登高诗很多，大多是写重阳节的习俗；杜甫的七律《登高》，就是写重阳登高的名篇。登高所到之处，没有划一的规定，一般是登高山、登高塔。

On this day, people will eat Double Ninth Gao (or Cake). In Chinese, gao (cake) has the same pronunciation with gao (height). People do so just to hope progress in everything they are engaged in. There is no fixed ways for the Double Ninth Cake, but super cakes will have as many as nine layers, looking like a tower.

在这一天，人们还有吃“重阳糕”的习俗。在汉语里，“糕”与“高”同音，”，人们会用“吃糕”代替“登高”，祝愿百事俱高。重阳糕又称花糕、菊糕、五色糕，制无定法，较为随意。最高的有九层，像一个塔。

The Double Ninth Festival is also a time when chrysanthemum blooms. China boasts diversified species of chrysanthemum and people have loved them since ancient times. So enjoying the flourishing chrysanthemum also becomes a key activity on this festival. Also, people will drink chrysanthemum wine. Women used to stick such a flower into their hair or hang its branches on windows or doors to avoid evilness.

重阳节正是一年的金秋时节，菊花盛开，民间还把农历九月称为“菊月”，在菊花傲霜怒放的重阳节里，观赏菊花成了节日的一项重要内容，当然，人们也会喝一些菊花酒。女人会把茱萸插在头上或挂在门口，可以避难消灾。

In 1989, the Chinese government decided the Double Ninth Festival as Seniors' Day. Since then, all government units, organizations and streets communities will organize an autumn trip each year for those who have retired from their posts. At the waterside or on the mountains, the seniors will find themselves merged into nature. Younger generations will bring elder ones to suburban areas or send gifts to them on this day.

今天的重阳节，被赋予了新的含义，在1989年，我国把每年的九月九日定为老人节，传统与现代巧妙地结合，成为尊老、敬老、爱老、助老的老年人的节日。全国各机关、团体、街道，往往都在此时组织从工作岗位上退下来的老人们秋游赏景，或临水玩乐，或登山健体，让身心都沐浴在大自然的怀抱里；不少家庭的晚辈也会搀扶着年老的长辈到郊外活动或为老人准备一些可口的饮食。

The 9th day of the 9th lunar month is the traditional Chongyang Festival