Sep The Chung Yeung Festival occurs on the 9th day of the 9th month and is sometimes referred to as the double 9 festival. It is said that in 200 B.C. a man of the Han Dynasty avoided a catastrophe in his village by taking his family to a high place for the day. The man took with him food and a jug of chrysanthemum wine. This story has developed into a tradition whereby Chinese go picnicking in the mountains on this day. Chung Yeung is also a family remembrance day.
Families visit graves to pay their respects to founding ancestors.
It is also an auspicious time for the young and for lovers. The Chinese also make use of solar terms in their calendar. These are spaced at intervals of 15 degrees of solar longitude around the year and correspond closely to the entries and mid-points of the western zodiac signs. The most important term from the calendarist's point of view is the Winter Solstice, Dongzhi , which invariably falls in the 11th month and is used to determine the start of the Chinese year. Ancestors are venerated on Dohngzhi.