Also known as Autumn Remembrance, this festival is similar to Ching Ming in the spring in that families journey to the graves of their ancestors to perform cleansing rites and pay their respects. They share the food they bring along, especially Chinese cakes, ko, which is a homonym of the word for “top”. Some believe those who eat these cakes will be promoted to the top.
It is also a day for hiking. The Chung Yeung Festival commemorates a Han Dynasty (BC 202-AD 220) legend, which tells how a soothsayer advised the Woon King to take his family to a high place for the entire ninth day of the ninth moon. Upon their return, the Woon family discovered that all living things in their village had been slaughtered. Today, many Hong Kong families head to the hills to picnic during the Chung Yeung Festival.
