Chung Yeung Festival, also known as the Double Ninth Festival, is a day for honoring ancestors and celebrating longevity. Families visit graves to offer incense, food and prayers, while others hike to scenic hills, following the tradition of climbing to ward off bad luck. The festival combines ancestor veneration and outdoor enjoyment, symbolizing remembrance, respect and renewal.

When is Chung Yeung Festival?

Chung Yeung Festival is observed in Macau on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month.

The following is the list of Chung Yeung Festival from 2020 to 2049.

The History of Chung Yeung Festival?

The Chung Yeung Festival, also known as the Double Ninth Festival (Chongyang Jie, 重陽節), has a history spanning over 2,000 years and is deeply rooted in Chinese tradition. Celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, the festival is named after the number nine (yang in Chinese cosmology), which symbolizes positive energy. Since the day is a "double yang" (ninth day of the ninth month), it was believed to possess strong yang energy that could cause imbalance and potential misfortune, hence, rituals to restore harmony were developed.

The festival's origins can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE). According to legend, a man named Huan Jing was advised by an immortal to take his family to the mountains on the ninth day of the ninth month to avoid a deadly plague. When he returned, he discovered that those who had stayed behind had perished. Since then, climbing mountains during the festival became a custom believed to ward off evil and ensure safety.

Over time, the Chung Yeung Festival evolved to include ancestor worship, tomb sweeping, and family gatherings, much like the Qingming Festival in spring. By the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE), it was recognized as an official imperial festival.

In Macau, the festival carries both its traditional Chinese roots and local flavor. Families visit cemeteries to clean tombs and offer food, incense, and paper tributes, while many take part in hikes up Guia Hill or Coloane Hill, blending spiritual reverence with appreciation for nature.

Today, the Chung Yeung Festival in Macau symbolizes remembrance, respect for ancestors, and the pursuit of longevity and good fortune, a day that unites past and present through reflection, gratitude and renewal.