Chung Yeung in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, people celebrate the holiday of Chung Yeung. This holiday is held during the ninth day of the ninth month of the year since it is believed to be the peak of Yang energy, caused by the largest Yang numbers being 9/9 (ninth day and ninth month) which is also considered masculine energy. To balance out the yin and yang energy, families will go on hikes, fly kites, and eat cleansing foods. Another addition to the celebration is visiting family graves and shrines and cleaning them. This way, ancestors are given extra offerings while kites are flown to push away the negative energy by making it “fly away” through the kite. Cleansing the graves compels away the bad energy as well which is why it is an important part of the holiday. Hiking onto a high point is also considered good luck at this time since it was a tactic to avoid death according to the legend.

Like other holidays, Chung Yeung foretells the story of a man named Huan Jing who had met a divine being on a mountain and was told of a demon who would arrive on the ninth day of the ninth month to slaughter his village. In order to avoid the chaos and the demon, he would have to move his family and the villagers to the highest point of the mountain. Soon to his knowledge after the date had passed, Huan Jing returned to the village to find it in shambles just as the deity had warned him. The ending of the story differs, from one being that Huan Jing defeated the demon with Chrysanthemum wine to another stating that Huan Jing used a sword to cut off the demon's head and was then known as the mythical swordsman. 

To avoid bad energy during the celebration, families will cleanse their homes, gravestones, visit ancestors, hike, and fly kites to avoid misfortune. Drinking chrysanthemum wine is also a tradition, as it was the weakness of the demon, believed to lengthen a person's lifespan. Not only is this a fun holiday to celebrate but one that brings families together to spend time with one another.