Chapter 533: Sacrifice (I)

"Yin Yin, Xi Ming, you always say that sacrifice is sacrificed, what is sacrifice?" Sister Wang Na asked.

"Sacrifice is a part of the Chinese rituals, is the main part of the Confucian etiquette, the rites have five classics, no more important than sacrifice, is to do things to the gods to bless. The objects of worship are divided into three categories: gods, earthly gods, and human ghosts. The gods are worshipped, the earth is sacrificed, and the temple is enjoyed. In ancient China, the gods were not of the same kind, the people were not of the same kind, and the people were not of the same race, and there was a strict hierarchy of sacrifices. The gods and the earth are sacrificed by the Son of Heaven. The princes and doctors sacrifice to the mountains and rivers. Shishu can only sacrifice to their ancestors and the god of the stove. Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and Double Ninth Festival are ancestral worship days. Sacrifice also means worshipping the gods, praying to the gods, and worshipping the ancestors. In primitive times, it was believed that the human soul could exist without the body. Sacrifice is a derivative of this idea of the soul. The first rituals were simpler and more barbaric. People used bamboo, wood or clay to shape idols of gods, or painted images of gods such as the sun, moon, stars, and beasts on rocks as objects of worship. Food and other gifts offered to the gods are then displayed in front of the idols, and the presiding officer prays, while the worshippers sing and dance to the gods. There are certain norms for sacrificial ritual offerings. Offerings were made to the gods, Buddhas, or ancestors to show reverence and ask for blessings. Yun Ximing said.

"After all, such a sacrifice is a psychological comfort, but it doesn't really mean anything, right?" Sister Wang Na asked.

"Not really." I said, "The object of sacrifice is the gods, and the creation of the gods has its own process of development. In the childhood of human beings, people are simple-minded, full of fantasy, and feel mysterious and fearful of natural objects and all natural phenomena. The changes in the heavens, the movement of the sun and the moon, the mountains, rocks, trees, birds and animals on the earth are all regarded as dominated by gods, so the concept of animism has emerged. These gods both nurture the growth of mankind and pose a threat to the survival of mankind; Human beings are grateful to these gods, but at the same time they are afraid of them, so they worship these many gods and ask them to be blessed and spared. Human beings are also incomprehensible about their own life, old age, sickness and death, hallucinations and dreams. Ancient ancestors believed that after death, the soul of a person has a supernatural ability, and the human soul can communicate with the living in dreams, and can be used to haunt the living, making them sick or suffering disasters. This fear of the gods was an important factor in the sacrificial act. Animism forms polytheistic worship, the most basic three elements of the ancient Chinese cosmology are heaven, earth, and man. "Zhou Li, Chun Guan" records that the highest priesthood of the Zhou Dynasty, the great uncle, was in charge of the heavenly gods, human ghosts, and earth gifts of the state. "Historical Records and Book of Rites" also says: The heavens and the earth, respecting the ancestors and the monarch are the three books of the ceremony. ”

"Later Confucianism also had its own gods." Yun Ximing said, "The objects of Confucianism are divided into gods, human ghosts, and earthly gods. Confucianism consists of a hierarchy like a human bureaucratic system. The rank and title of each god were generally prescribed by the Confucian scholars and enshrined in the national rituals. Plainly, they enjoy a sacrifice according to the regulations, just like the fiefs and euphems of the princes; During the big sacrifice, it is enjoyed according to the grade and enshrined on the Temple of Heaven. Those who are not included in the ritual are called obscenity. With the worship of the emperor of heaven, God, Sheji, sleeping temple, mountains and forests, and famous rivers. Those who are not sacrificed are called obscenity. Obscenity is not blessed. ”

"It turns out that there are so many exquisiteness in the sacrifice, I thought that just putting a few bowls of rice and getting some wine was a sacrifice." Sister Wang Na said.

"Of course not." Yun Ximing said, "The initial sacrificial activities were relatively simple and barbaric. People used bamboo, wood or clay to shape idols of gods, or painted images of gods such as the sun, moon, stars, and beasts on rocks as objects of worship. Food and gifts offered to the gods are then displayed in front of the idols, and the presiding officer prays, while the worshippers sing and dance to the gods. After entering the civilized society, the abundance of materials made the sacrificial etiquette more and more complicated, and the sacrifices became more and more exquisite, and there were certain norms. ”

"The kind you said is to sacrifice with things, also called sacrifices." I said, "Sacrifices to the gods come at the cost of gifts." People can bow down and prostrate to the gods, burn incense and burn paper, but the most affordable way for the gods to sacrifice is to offer sacrifices. Human beings have seven emotions and six desires, and so do the gods. Since people have prayed to the gods, they should be willing to offer their best things to win the favor of the gods. But people's preferences are different, and different gods have their own tastes, so the offerings are varied. ”

"There are some stages when it is popular to offer food." Yun Ximing took over the conversation, "The people take food as the sky, and the original sacrifice is based on food sacrifice. "The Book of Rites and Rites" says: At the beginning of the husband's ceremony, the beginning of the diet. Its burnt millet and dolphins, dirty and drunk, and the drum of the earth, can still pay homage to the ghosts and gods. In other words, the ritual originated from offering food to the gods, and by burning millet and offering pork to the gods, digging the ground into a hole as a kettle, holding water in your hands, and beating an earthen drum to make music, you were able to convey people's prayers and respect to the spirits. A study of the origins of writing also reveals that the words used to represent sacrifices are mostly related to food and drink. Among the many foods, meat is the most popular. In the primitive era of gathering and hunting, people hunted meat for their lives. When primitive agriculture and animal husbandry developed, meat was still extremely valuable. The ideal life conceived by Mencius is based on being able to eat meat at the age of 70 as an important standard, and the gift of his disciple's apprenticeship is only two bundles of jerky, which shows that meat is rare. Because of this, meat became the main sacrifice to the gods. In ancient times, the carnivorous animals used for sacrifice were called sacrifices, referring to horses, cattle, sheep, chickens, dogs, pigs and other livestock, and later generations were called six animals. The most commonly used of the six animals are cattle, sheep, pigs and three livestock. Fish and rabbit game is also used in sacrifices, but not as sacrifices. Sacrifices also employ people, but people themselves are not called sacrifices, and ancient books only talk about employing people, not people. In addition to the sacrifice, the food as a sacrifice also includes grains and grains, which are called rice and grains. Fresh and tender fruits and vegetables are also commonly used sacrifices in folk sacrifices, and are repeatedly mentioned in the Book of Songs; After Buddhism was introduced to China, the fruits of fasting sacrifices were more abundant. In addition, wine is also a common sacrifice to the gods. Yun Ximing said while wrapping himself in a clean gauze.

"Some use jade silk, and the gods pay attention to clothing and ornaments, and jade silk is indispensable in the sacrifices. "Zuo Biography" contains: Sacrificing jade silk, Fu dares to add also. "Mozi Shangtong" cloud: The ghosts and gods are also ghosts, and they dare not fail to measure. Jade silk includes a variety of jade ritual vessels and leather silk, which is the most commonly used means of sacrifice other than food, jade has a very important role in the sacrifice, "Zhou Li" has a record of using jade to make six instruments to honor the four directions of heaven and earth. Jade was a treasure worn by nobles. In ancient times, when gold and silver jewelry were lacking, jade was very valuable. Peiyu, become a unique symbol of the aristocracy, in the Han Dynasty there is a gentleman jade does not go to the body said, with jade as a symbol, seal the letter, very precious. The etiquette system of jade developed unprecedentedly at this time! People regard jade as synonymous with beauty, and even the imaginary abode of the gods is also called Yutai. Silk is the general name of silk fabric, which is the means of life used by the nobles to keep out the cold. In ancient times, ordinary people could only use Ge Ma as clothing, and Wei Wengong described in "Zuo Biography" was only crowned with silk, which was extremely precious in ancient times. It is precisely because of the rarity and preciousness of jade silk that the ancients used jade silk as a sacrifice when they sacrificed. ”

"Not all of them are so easy." I said, "There are also useful people!" People sacrifice people to the gods, the ancient books called the use of people, and the later generations called human sacrifice. Human sacrifice, not only in primitive religions, but also in religions in later stages of development, is the darkest page in the history of religions. Human sacrifice originated in tribal warfare in primitive societies. At that time, the level of productivity was low, and the value of human beings could not be reflected. Prisoners of war, women could be left to play with, children could be adopted, and adult men were killed as sacrifices to the gods. The Shang Dynasty's human sacrifice was blazing, and there were not only a large number of divination descriptions, but also archaeological relics to prove it. Human sacrifices take the form of burning, drowning, burying alive, piercing the throat and draining blood, beheading, and even chopping people into meat and steaming them into meat soup. Although the phenomenon of human sacrifice in the Spring and Autumn Period was not as shocking and cruel as that of the Shang Dynasty, it was not uncommon. "Zuo Chuan: Ten Years of Zhao Gong" contains: Lu Guo Ji Pingzi employed people in Bo Society, and "Zhao Gong Eleventh Year" also recorded that Song Minister Yi Wen used Yan Zi in the Society of Ciju. "Historical Records of Qin Benji" said that Qin Mugong will be the god of the Jin Jun Temple, and "Chen Shi Family" is also called: Alliance for the altar and sacrifice to the captain's head. Another phenomenon of human sacrifice is the provision of beautiful women to male gods. When the fighting in the Bronze Age began, women lost their matrilineal clan status due to lack of physical strength, and gradually became male slaves, and their production and reproductive abilities were also relegated to a secondary position. On the contrary, the beauty of women to cater to the needs of male rulers is one-sidedly emphasized, and good-looking female slaves become victims of ****. In order to satisfy the desires of imaginary gods who covet women, the custom of sacrificing beautiful women arose. Whether killed, buried alive, or drowned, it is a manifestation of entertaining the gods with beauty. Nominally, they let their souls be the wives and concubines of the gods, but in fact they are for the gods to play with. According to ancient books, Qin Linggong once used the princess's wife He, and the farce of the Wei State Yedi Hebo marrying during the Warring States Period is a powerful proof. There is also the phenomenon of sacrificing boys and girls to gods in human sacrifices. The use of the human body as a sacrifice in childhood, firstly, because the child's flesh is tender, and secondly, because the gods like children, children are innocent, pure and flawless, which is related to the pursuit of immortality and immortality. ”

"And then there's blood. Blood is a special kind of sacrifice. The ancients believed that blood has a soul, and that blood can sustain the life of a person or animal, and that once blood is lost, it means injury or even death, as if blood has a magical power. The blood of the sacrifice was human blood and the blood of animals. The Wa people have the custom of hunting the head as a sacrifice, and the blood stains of the headhunter have a mysterious meaning, and the headhunter blood is mixed with ashes and grain seeds and sown into the ground, believing that this can promote the growth of grains. When the Xibe people sacrificed to the god of the earth, they sprinkled the blood of the pig after killing it on the ground. When some Yi people sacrifice to the land, they use chicken feathers and Jiao blood to stain the branches of the tree that symbolize the land god. I said.

"Oh my God, this is terrible." Sister Wang Na said.

"The object is secondary, and the means of sacrifice are more cruel." I say. (To be continued.) )