《重阳节》英译

九月九日，载酒具、茶垆、食榼，曰登高。香山诸山，高山也；法藏寺，高塔也；显灵宫、报国寺，高阁也。释不登。赁园亭，闯坊曲，为娱耳。面饼种枣栗其面，星星然，曰花糕。糕肆标纸彩旗，曰花糕旗。父母家必迎女来食花糕，或不得迎，母则诟，女则怨诧，小妹则泣，望其姊姨，亦曰女儿节。<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

明/刘侗、于奕正《帝京景物略》

The Chong Yang Festival ¹

On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, people take wine glasses, teapots and food boxes and go up the mountains ². All the mountains in the Xiangshan range are high. In these mountains are Fazang Temple with a tall pagoda; Xianling Temple and Baoguo Temple, both elevated structures. Monks do not go up the mountains, but common people rent mountain gardens and pavilions or go to the pleasure haunts ³ in the mountains to have fun.

The pastry shops sell cakes sprinkled with dates and chestnuts as thick as stars in a night sky. These cakes are called hua gao ⁴—flower cakes. Pastry shop owners usually put colourful paper flags on their cakes. The flags are called “flower cake flags”. On that day, parents expect their married daughters to return home to eat the flower cakes. If the daughter cannot come, the mother will complain, the daughter will be filled with sadness, and the younger sister will weep because she really wants to enjoy this rare chance to see her sister. Thus, this day is also called Daughter’s Day.

Liu Tong& Yu Yizheng (Ming Dynasty):

Scenery and Events in the Capital

1. Chong Yang Festival: September 9 of the lunar year is the Chong Yang Festival. In ancient China, odd numbers were regarded as positive numbers. September 9 (9/9) contains two positive numbers. Thus the day is named “chong yang”, or double positive. On this day, common people hold activities such as going up the mountains, having an outing, admiring chrysanthemums, drinking wine, eating flower cakes and welcoming back married daughters.

2. go up the mountains: It is said a man in the Eastern Han Dynasty named Huan Jing acknowledged the immortal Fei Chang Fang as his teacher. One day, Fei warned Huan Jing that there would be a major disaster on September 9 in a certain year. But if he wore cornel leaves around his arm, climbed a mountain and drank chrysanthemum wine, the disaster could be averted. Huan Jing did accordingly. He took his family up a mountain and all was well. When he returned home in the evening, he found all his livestock had died mysteriously. Thereafter, on September 9 people climb the mountains and have picnics. They also wear cornel leaves and drink chrysanthemum wine to avoid misfortune and seek good wear luck.

3. pleasure haunts: Here they refer to brothels. Rich people rented brothels as places for banquets, gatherings and business.

4. hua gao: It is also called “chong yang gao”. The reason for eating hua gao because the word “gao (cake)” in Chinese is homonymous with the word “gao (high, i.e. high mountain)”.