TL;DR: The Double Ninth Festival (Trùng Cửu, also called Trùng Dương or chrysanthemum festival) falls on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month and is linked to the idea that 9 is the utmost yang number, a symbol of longevity, along with customs such as climbing heights, viewing chrysanthemums, drinking chrysanthemum wine and wearing dogwood pouches, as recorded from the Hoàn Cảnh legend by Phan Kế Bính (1915) and Bùi Xuân Mỹ (2001). In Vietnam, the earliest traces noted are from the Trần dynasty, through poems by Trần Khắc Chung and the Zen master Huyền Quang and through the book An Nam chí lược; by the Nguyễn dynasty, King Minh Mạng once used this day for excursions and granted chrysanthemum wine. In the early 20th century, Phan Kế Bính noted that few households observed this festival, only some people doing so following Chinese custom; today it is no longer as widely popular as Tết Nguyên Đán or Tết Đoan Ngọ, but some pagodas and communities have revived it as a cultural feature.
Tết Trùng Cửu (Trùng Dương), the 9th day of the 9th lunar month: origins, the custom of climbing to high places, chrysanthemums, prayers for longevity, and traces in Vietnam during the Trần dynasty
What is Tết Trùng Cửu and why does it fall on the 9th day of the 9th month?
Tết Trùng Cửu, also called Tết Trùng Dương or the chrysanthemum festival, takes place on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month every year. The name "Trùng Cửu" comes from the number 9 being repeated twice in the day and the month. In ancient belief, the number 9 belongs to the yang principle and is the largest yang number in the basic counting system, so two 9s stacked on each other are considered "yang at its extreme", associated with longevity and good fortune. For that reason, Tết Trùng Cửu is also called the festival of the elderly, the festival of old people.
Bùi Xuân Mỹ (2001) in the book Tục thờ cúng của người Việt also records that this festival is otherwise called tết Trùng dương, held on the 9th day of the ninth month, and explains the name according to the Kinh Dịch (Book of Changes): a yang line is called Cửu, a yin line is called Lục, and the 9th day of the 9th month doubles the Cửu, hence trùng Dương.
According to researcher Vũ Kim Lộc, Tết Trùng Cửu is known in China, Japan, Vietnam and a number of Asian countries. The specific origin of this festival is not entirely consistent across sources: some say it appeared in the Hán dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE), while others say it dates from the Đường dynasty (618 to 907). What more people agree on is the symbolic meaning of the number 9 in Chinese culture, where 9 represents endurance, permanence and longevity.
In Japan, Tết Trùng Cửu is also regarded as a festival of the chrysanthemum, though when it was introduced there remains unclear. The link between this festival and the chrysanthemum is one of its most important identifying features across many cultures.
Why is the chrysanthemum associated with Tết Trùng Cửu?
Chrysanthemums bloom in autumn, coinciding with the time of Tết Trùng Cửu. In East Asian culture, the chrysanthemum is a symbol of autumn, of noble purity and of longevity. The image of "chrysanthemum wine" appears in many ancient records, showing that people of old used chrysanthemums to steep wine or to make drinks carrying the meaning of cầu an (prayer for peace and safety) and prayers for longevity on this occasion.
In Vietnam, the chrysanthemum symbol in classical poetry is linked to the story of Đào Uyên Minh, the famous hermit who loved chrysanthemums. Researchers such as Lưu Hồng Sơn have analysed the influence of this symbol in the classical poetry of Vietnam and Korea, showing that the chrysanthemum is not only an autumn flower but also a metaphor for character and ideals of living.
What is the custom of climbing to high places and what other customs are observed on Tết Trùng Cửu?
One of the common customs of Tết Trùng Cửu is the custom of "climbing high", that is, climbing a mountain or going up to a high, open place to enjoy the scenery and breathe the autumn air. This custom is tied to the folk belief that going up high on the day of extreme yang helps ward off bad omens and welcome good luck. In addition, people of old also had the custom of drinking chrysanthemum wine and admiring chrysanthemums, and in some traditions there was also the custom of pinning a sprig of thù du (a fragrant plant) in the hair or hanging it in front of the house to drive away evil spirits.
These customs show that Tết Trùng Cửu is not only a festival tied to the weather, but also an occasion for people to blend into nature and commune with heaven and earth in the clear autumn season.
The story of Hoàn Cảnh and the customs of climbing high, picking thù du and drinking chrysanthemum wine
Phan Kế Bính (1915) in Việt Nam phong tục records that few families celebrate this festival, though sometimes people do so following the Chinese custom. As told in the book, during the Hán dynasty there was a man named Hoàn Cảnh, a student of Phí Trường Phòng; one day the teacher warned that on the 9th day of the ninth month the whole family would meet a great disaster, and that to avoid it each person had to sew a small silk pouch, put thù du flowers in it and tie it to the arm, then go together to a high place and drink chrysanthemum wine, and only thus would they come through. Hoàn Cảnh did exactly as instructed, and indeed that day the whole family remained safe, while the chickens and dogs in the house all died. According to Phan Kế Bính, on that occasion the Chinese picked thù du flowers and went up to high places to drink, while our people sometimes took it into their heads to drink chrysanthemum wine too, calling it thưởng tết trùng dương[1].
In Bùi Xuân Mỹ's (2001) record of the same story, there is an addition of Phí Trường Phòng's words that the animals that died had died in place of the people; according to that story, every year on the 9th day of the ninth month people hold a ceremony and then go together up the mountain to break off thù du branches and drink chrysanthemum wine; from China, tết Trùng cửu was introduced into Vietnam, and on this occasion our literati would also go up the mountain for outings, drink wine, pick flowers and recite poetry..
A distinction needs to be made between two layers in this story. The part about climbing high, wearing pouches of thù du and drinking chrysanthemum wine is a practice described in the books; whereas the household meeting disaster and the chickens and dogs dying in place of the people is a narration within legend, belonging to folk belief rather than to anything proven. Compared with the section on origins above: the earlier article notes that some sources say the festival began in the Hán dynasty and others say in the Đường dynasty; the Hoàn Cảnh story that Phan Kế Bính and Bùi Xuân Mỹ record is precisely the tale that ties the festival to the Hán era, so it can be seen as one of the strands explaining a Hán-era origin, not as historical evidence for the dating of the festival.
What traces of Tết Trùng Cửu are there in Vietnam during the Trần dynasty?
According to researcher Vũ Kim Lộc, Tết Trùng Cửu in Vietnam is known earliest from the Trần dynasty (1225 to 1400). During the resistance war against the Nguyên Mông armies, the famous general Trần Khắc Chung once borrowed Tết Trùng Dương and the chrysanthemum to write poetry calling on everyone to support the king and help the country, rather than to enjoy ease and comfort. He had the sobriquet "Cúc Ẩn" and is regarded as the pioneer of Vietnamese poetry in praise of the chrysanthemum. The poem quoted includes lines such as: "Trùng Dương hái cúc ủ men đào / Thu đến ăn hoa bác khuất cao / Phong lưu nhị lão nghìn năm cũ / Cúc ẩn đành ra gánh trời cao".
The Zen master Huyền Quang, who lived in the Trần dynasty, also has a poem mentioning Tết Trùng Dương through the image of the chrysanthemum: "Cuối năm giữa rừng không có lịch / Nhìn hoa cúc nở biết Trùng Dương". The line shows that people of old used the blooming of chrysanthemums as a sign for recognising the time of Tết Trùng Cửu, especially where no calendar was available.
The book An Nam chí lược by Lê Tắc also records Tết Trùng Cửu in the Trần dynasty: "Those are the days when noble families drink wine, recite poetry and go out to view the scenery". This record shows that in the Trần dynasty, Tết Trùng Cửu was already an occasion of cultural activity for the nobility, tied to wine, poetry and excursions.
What does Tết Trùng Cửu in the Nguyễn dynasty look like through Đại Nam thực lục?
The book Đại Nam thực lục records an event in the year Mậu Tuất, the 19th year of the Minh Mệnh reign (1838): "The Trùng dương festival. The king went out to Mount Ngự Bình". Earlier, King Minh Mạng had told the Ministry of Rites: "The Trùng dương festival has existed since ancient times. Our people's customs are plain and simple, and on occasions such as Thất tịch and Trùng dương, for the most part there is no enjoyment of outings; now that the country is at peace, this is a time for pleasant recreation, so let this year be the beginning: on the 9th day of the 9th month I shall go out to Mount Ngự Bình, and let the officials attend and join the banquet, and the people be allowed to go out and enjoy themselves, to show that we share in the joy".
According to the record, the hundred officials performed the ceremony of congratulations on his long life, and after the ceremony they entered to attend the banquet. The king himself poured chrysanthemum wine and bestowed it on the crown prince, the royal kin and the civil and military great ministers, one cup each. This event shows that by the Nguyễn dynasty, Tết Trùng Cửu had drawn the court's attention to restore and organise it as an occasion of national ceremonial significance.
Table summarising the recorded milestones of Tết Trùng Cửu in Vietnam
| Period | Recording source | Main content |
|---|---|---|
| Trần dynasty (1225 to 1400) | Poetry of Trần Khắc Chung, poetry of the Zen master Huyền Quang, An Nam chí lược | Nobles drank wine, recited poetry and went out to view the scenery; the chrysanthemum was the sign for recognising the Trùng Dương season |
| Nguyễn dynasty (1802 to 1945) | Đại Nam thực lục, 19th year of the Minh Mệnh reign (1838) | The king went out to Mount Ngự Bình, bestowed chrysanthemum wine on the crown prince and great ministers, and held a banquet |
| Early 20th century | Phan Kế Bính, Việt Nam phong tục (1915) | Few families celebrate the festival, sometimes people do so following the Chinese custom; now and then people drink chrysanthemum wine, called thưởng tết trùng dương |
| Contemporary | Chrysanthemum festival at Ba Vàng pagoda | Restores the beauty of Tết Trùng Cửu, held once every two years on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month |
What is Tết Trùng Cửu like in Vietnam today?
Today, Tết Trùng Cửu is no longer as widely popular as Tết Nguyên Đán or Tết Đoan Ngọ. However, some religious institutions and communities still maintain commemorative activities. Ba Vàng pagoda has restored the beauty of Tết Trùng Cửu under the name Chrysanthemum festival at Ba Vàng pagoda, held once every two years on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month, in order to preserve a beautiful feature of the nation's cultural tradition and to honour the symbolic image of Trúc Lâm Buddhist culture.
The existence of these activities shows that Tết Trùng Cửu still has a certain vitality in contemporary cultural life, though on a smaller scale than other major festivals.
What points remain unsettled among the sources?
There are a number of points on which researchers have not reached full agreement. First, the specific origin of Tết Trùng Cửu still attracts differing opinions: some sources say the Hán dynasty, others say the Đường dynasty. Second, the time when Tết Trùng Cửu was introduced into Vietnam has not been precisely determined either; all that can be firmly stated is that it already existed in the Trần dynasty, through literary and historical records. Third, the degree of popularity of this festival among the Vietnamese people across the periods also needs more material for a full assessment.
This article presents the approach of researcher Vũ Kim Lộc and the materials cited in the article on Báo Thanh Niên, while noting that this is a subject with many remaining research gaps.
