6 things you may not know about Double Ninth Festival

The 9th day of the 9th lunar month is the traditional Chongyang Festival, or Double Ninth Festival, which falls on Oct 28 this year.

Chong in Chinese means "double". Also, as double ninth was pronounced the same as the word to signify "forever", both are " Jiu Jiu ", Chinese ancestors considered it an auspicious day worth celebration. That's why ancient Chinese began to celebrate this festival long ago.

Here are 6 things you may not know about Double Ninth Festival.

The cornel (dogwood) is a species of evergreen arbor, which is a heavy-scented plant whose fruit is edible and stock and leaves can be medicinal materials.

Ancient people believed that planting cornel twigs on Double Ninth Festival could prevent diseases and avoid disasters. They also wore the cornel twigs on their arms or heads or put them in sachets.

Most people that follow the custom are women and children, and in some places men also wear them.

Also known as "yellow flower", chrysanthemum is of varied species in the composite family.

Though its florescence lasts long, this perennial herb usually begins to bloom in the 9th lunar month, lending a festive flavor to the Double Ninth Day. That's why the month is also referred to as "the month of chrysanthemum".

Double Ninth cake is also known as "chrysanthemum cake" or "flower cake".

It dates back to the Zhou Dynasty (the 11th century-256 BC). It is said that the cake was originally prepared after autumn harvests for farmers to have a taste of what was just in season, and it gradually became the cake for people to eat on the Double Ninth Day.