Chong Yang Festival of Love & Respect for our elders 2023 (CYF 2023) 

Spreading warmth across thousands of families; Spreading love all around

2023年敬老爱老庆重阳

Expect lots of activities and cultural performances, free food and drinks as well as gifts on event day

Introduction

Chong Yang Festival (Double Ninth Festival) is a traditional Chinese festival. Based on the principles of Yin Yang, the ancient classic Yi Jing (I Ching) classified 6 as a Yin number while 9 was classified as a Yang number. On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, both the day and month belong to the Yang element. When two Yangs coincide, it is called Chong Yang in Mandarin. Therefore, the festival was named the Chong Yang Festival or Double Ninth Festival. Double Ninth in Mandarin has the same pronunciation as “Jiǔ Jiǔ” (a very long time), hence its natural connotation to longevity.

From the perspective of our historical and cultural heritage, respect and love for our elders is a fundamental traditional virtue of the Chinese race, and the key to strong family ties.

1. Filial piety – Chong Yang as the great bearer for the tradition of filial piety:

In helping to extend and deepen the tradition of respect for the elders, Chong Yang further strengthens the root of filial piety in our Chinese culture. Being filial to our parents is not something that we delay till they are old and aged.

The selfless love, care and kindness we receive from our parents who gave us our life is immeasurable. The teachings of Confucius listed the five cardinal relationships as the basis for a prosperous and harmonious family: the love and righteousness of a father, a mother’s compassionate love, friendship and love showed by a sibling to his younger one, the younger sibling respecting the older and the filial piety of a child towards his parents.

2. Gratefulness – The universal value in Chong Yang:

Through extending the deeper essence of Chong Yang to its fullest, we are gifted with the universal value of gratefulness. Beginning with filial piety and respect brings out everyone’s intrinsic kindness and gratefulness, with the spirit of gratitude naturally flowing from our hearts through all our intentions and actions.

Gratefulness encompasses positive thinking and humility. It is a spontaneous behaviour which brings out the positivity in a person. One who knows gratefulness knows how to turn it into acts of love, putting it into practice in one’s life. A heart of gratitude plants seeds of peace creating harmony. It is not merely the act of repaying kindness, but a spiritual state motivating one in the pursuit of a positive life of self-esteem and responsibility towards others and the society.

Gratitude is a philosophy and wisdom of life, teaching us to be a real person as we learn to live our life the right way, in turn leading us to a beautiful life of deep fulfilment.

Gratitude is the basis of creating a life of quality, the foundation of all of life’s goodness. It allows us to live with wisdom, to see the beauty of life and nature, including the innate goodness that is all around us. It brings out the positivity within us in helping us maintain a proactive, healthy and optimistic state of mind. With a heart of gratitude, we will be less critical, more appreciative and grateful towards others and the environment, naturally treating others with kindness.

Keeping gratitude in our hearts, we are constantly living in a grateful world of beauty, resulting in a better, beautiful life for ourselves and the world.

As a beautiful festival which holds the heritage of the outstanding traditions of the Chinese race, Chong Yang should not continue to be overlooked in the present times. The deeply meaningful traditions and virtues of gratefulness and filial piety inherent within should be truly understood and passed down through all our generations. Chong Yang festival is a traditional festival but its timeless significance is eternal.

Activities

1. Ceremony of Respect and Gratitude – Passing on the Gift of Joy (Tea Ceremony, Tradition of Love: Foot Bath)

    乐活传礼 —— 饮水思源 喜悦传礼（敬茶、浴足）

2. Passing on the Gift of Poetry – Nourishing the Heart and Illuminating the Wisdom

    唱游传诗 —— 诗乐养心 开启智慧（诗歌吟诵）

3. Strengthening the Body – A Healthy Body Holds a Healthy Mind, Active Aging for The Golden Years (Chinese Martial Arts)

    强健体魄 —— 健身益智 活跃乐龄（中华武术）

4. Our Family Heritage – Establishing Family Traditions, Preserving One’s Roots (Everlasting Love of Home or Trailing the Path of Love Through Our Family Generations*, The Lineage of Love Through Our Family History)

    家道传承 —— 树立家风 把根留住（《爱的足迹》*、家谱）

5. Spiritual Exploration – Building a Life of Happiness and Fulfilment (Joyful Living Through the Years)

    心灵探索 —— 构建幸福 美满人生（乐享年华）

Note: *Everlasting Love of Home (《爱的足迹》) is a very meaningful activity to be officially launched on that day. Click here for more details.

Target Audience

1. General public (Limited to 200 pax)

2. We encourage grandparents, parents and children to attend together.

Organizer

Zhong Hua Cultural Society Singapore

Co-organizer

Kebun Baru Community Club SCEC

Supporting organisation

Gin Thye