重阳节来历中英文对照：
农历九月九日，为传统的重阳节。因为古老的《易经》中把六定为阴数，把九定为阳数，九月九日，日月并阳，两九相重，故而叫重阳，也叫重九，古人认为是个值得庆贺的吉利日子，并且从很早就开始过此节日。
在古代，民间在重阳有登高的风俗，故重阳节又叫登高节。相传此风俗始于东汉。唐代文人所写的登高诗很多，大多是写重阳节的习俗；杜甫的七律《登高》，就是写重阳登高的名篇。登高所到之处，没有划一的规定，一般是登高山、登高塔。
在这一天，人们还有吃重阳糕的习俗。在汉语里，糕与高同音，，人们会用吃糕代替登高，祝愿百事俱高。重阳糕又称花糕、菊糕、五色糕，制无定法，较为随意。最高的有九层，像一个塔。
重阳节正是一年的金秋时节，菊花盛开，民间还把农历九月称为菊月，在菊花傲霜怒放的重阳节里，观赏菊花成了节日的一项重要内容，当然，人们也会喝一些菊花酒。女人会把茱萸插在头上或挂在门口，可以避难消灾。
今天的重阳节，被赋予了新的含义，在1989年，我国把每年的九月九日定为老人节，传统与现代巧妙地结合，成为尊老、敬老、爱老、助老的老年人的节日。全国各机关、团体、街道，往往都在此时组织从工作岗位上退下来的老人们秋游赏景，或临水玩乐，或登山健体，让身心都沐浴在大自然的怀抱里；不少家庭的晚辈也会搀扶着年老的长辈到郊外活动或为老人准备一些可口的饮食。
Double Ninth Festival
The 9th day of the 9th lunar month is the traditional Chongyang Festival, or Double Ninth Festival. It usually falls in October in the Gregorian calendar. In an ancient and mysterious book Yi Jing, or The Book of Changes, number 6 was thought to be of Yin character, meaning feminine or negative, while number 9 was thought to be Yang, meaning masculine or positive. So the number nine in both month and day create the Double Ninth Festival, or Chongyang Festival. Chong in Chinese means double. Also, as double ninth was pronounced the same as the word to signify forever, both are Jiu Jiu, the Chinese ancestors considered it an auspicious day worth celebration. That's why ancient Chinese began to celebrate this festival long time ago.
The custom of ascending a height to avoid epidemics was passed down from long time ago. Therefore, the Double Ninth Festival is also called Height Ascending Festival. The height people will reach is usually a mountain or a tower. Ancient literary figures have left many poems depicting the activity. Even today, people still swarm to famous or little known mountains on this day.
On this day, people will eat Double Ninth Gao (or Cake). In Chinese, gao (cake) has the same pronunciation with gao (height). People do so just to hope progress in everything they are engaged in. There is no fixed ways for the Double Ninth Cake, but super cakes will have as many as nine layers, looking like a tower.
The Double Ninth Festival is also a time when chrysanthemum blooms. China boasts diversified species of chrysanthemum and people have loved them since ancient times. So enjoying the flourishing chrysanthemum also becomes a key activity on this festival. Also, people will drink chrysanthemum wine. Women used to stick such a flower into their hair or hang its branches on windows or doors to avoid evilness.
In 1989, the Chinese government decided the Double Ninth Festival as Seniors' Day. Since then, all government units, organizations and streets communities will organize an autumn trip each year for those who have retired from their posts. At the waterside or on the mountains, the seniors will find themselves merged into nature. Younger generations will bring elder ones to suburban areas or send gifts to them on this day.
重阳节也称作老人节，理应把为老人祈福作为一个重要组成部分。然而在我们这里却很少有见到如此的，也许是缘自忌讳。人到暮年，脑子已大不如壮年时灵光，想得最多的就是大限之时。愈想愈怕，于是愈发受不得一点刺激。别说是祝福长寿了，光是翻翻日历都会默然良久。比如我外婆寿已七十有六，眼睛也不大好。我们这一带以九的倍数为人寿的灾祸之年，视为不祥。比如二九十八岁，八九七十二岁等等。时不时就听见外婆叹气，八九七十二，要不要还呐。逢年过节给我们压岁钱时总以现在不给就来不及了开头。我望向夕阳，西沉的日头给眼睛带来一丝刺痛。很多老人就是这样的心态，固执得像一头牛，什么重阳不重阳对他们来说真的没有什么意义。
渐渐发现，现在的节日更像是一种为了忘却的纪念，忘却古老，忘却过去。在我们一次次用食物和整天的锣鼓喧嚣深化节日这个仪式时，节日真正的精神与内涵却在渐行渐远。若有一日一觉醒来，重阳节凭空消失，如同从未出现过一般，不知我们是否会感到讶异，寂寞，抑或是漠然。
也许一个节日最好的结局是这样的：最后一个记得这个日子的老人躺在一把摇椅上，目光随着落日下降，渐渐闭上。这就如同一个文明的覆亡。别妄想与天地同寿，那只不过是一个水中的梦。当社会已不再需要，当再也没有更多的理由让它存在时，有一个完满的终点，比它如何开始更为重要。
当然也有可能是由这个节日衍生开去，被赋予了新的使命新的含义，既有传承又有创新。比之彻底消亡的说法，我也更为认同这种说法，毕竟走极端的只是少数，完全维持中平不被同化的概率几近于零，还是融合来得更为妥当，弱化了具体的概念，而能将精神内核提炼出来。
于是就想到一个关于民族大同的问题。早些时候我对他的概念是比较模糊的，后来砖头与我提起，一个民族的走向，无非是两种，即同化他人和被同化。对当今这个越来越趋向于一体化的世界来说，出现统领全局的文化只是迟早的事，当然现如今这个问题便转化为东方文明与西方文明的争斗，简言之就是中华文明与欧式文明的一场战争。中华的儒家文化存在了几千年，自然有它的道理。平正，中庸，凡事不争第一也不落最后，于是团队作战就显得尤为重要。而欧式文明更讲究竞争，也催生了许许多多的英雄。这场战争也许会旷日持久，也有可能因为一个微小的细节而闪电结束，总之是一个不可逆的过程。所谓分久必合合久必分，也许要靠来自外太空的非自然可抗力了。砖头更倾向于中华大同思想的最终获胜，但究竟以何种方式来结束，就要留给历史来印证了。
一个文明的推演，要依靠一次次的铭记与深化；而希望这一次，不会仅仅流于形式。
