中西方祭祀仪式的差异

。

Acknowledgement ....................... .................................................. .......

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1 Introduction

Sacrificial

ceremonies

are

human

cultural

activities

such

as

sacrifice,

worship,

pray,

and

chanting,

etc.

Religious

ceremony

has

the

function

to

celebrate

festivals,

it

has

entangled

into

people?s

social

life,

and

it

became

a

part

of

the

folk

culture.

From

the

construction

of

the

harmonious

society's

point

of

view,

positive

role

of

religious

sacrificial

ceremony

and

concepts

embodied in the excitation of human goodness, meanwhile it enlighten human wisdom, establish

self-confidence,

purified

human

mind,

enhancing

human

spirit,

adjusting

interpersonal

relations

and resolving social contradictions.

In

modern

society,

it

seems

that

the

world

is

getting

smaller

and

smaller,

people

are

very

active with frequent exchanges. Human decency plays the basic role of social ethics. The different

sacrificial

ceremonies

combined

with

each

other

in

various

countries

and

people

and

it

can

be

understand by people of different countries and nations. Sacrificial ceremony, as a part of social

etiquette,

can

be

shared

by

more

and

more

people

of

different

countries,

because

the

social

etiquette itself is a cultural phenomenon. Therefore, many countries are paying great attention to

combining

social

etiquette

with

national

sacrificial

ceremony

creatively.

This

means

that

the

sacrificial

ceremony

and

social

etiquette

in

the

Western

and

Chinese

society

are

in

a

more

appropriate location.

2 The Important Embodiment of Sacrifice Ceremony Culture in China and the

West

The essence of sacrificial ceremony is the method of dealing with people and the belief in

ghosts and spirits. People consider that all things are controlled by the ghosts which can not be

seen. Therefore, sacrificial ceremony is originated from the belief in ghosts and spirits, as well as a

special form of belief in ghosts and spirits. Back to five thousand years ago, sacrificial ceremonies

used

to

be

the

core

of

traditional

culture.

Some

examples

such

as

people

lighting

incense

in

temples, praying for a wonderful beautiful life or for a more fantastic future; In some areas such as

Sichuan and Chongqing, people burn paper houses and neither imitation paper money, hoping to

improve

their

deceased

family

?

s

living

conditions;

In

tomb-sweeping

day,

people

visit

their

ancestor

?

s

graves

and

sweep

away

the

dirt

of

the

grave

for

remembering

loved

ones

who

have

departed. These are examples in terms of sacrificial ceremonies.

Generally,

any

worship

towards

god

is

called

ceremony

it

refers

worshiping

towards God, and it was regarded as organized religious activities.

Human beings are the most important part of religious beliefs and they are the supporter of

religion activity. The most important condition is the relationship between human beings and god.

This relationship is fulfilled with a few religious ceremonies, and they are the communicational

channels

between

human

and

god.

Therefore,

there

is

a

set

of

ceremony

in

worshiping

God

to

express the relationship between human beings and God, human attempt to please God through

sacrificing,

worshiping,

praying

and

chanting.

They

hope

they

can

communicate

with

God

and

praying that God would bless all of them with a good future. Hence, the religious ceremony has

appeared.

2.1 China-The devotion of deities

In

China

there

is

a

set

of

religious

sacrifice

ceremony

in

worshiping

god.

Take

Taoism

?

s

example,

according

to

observing

and

visiting

a

few

Taoist

temple,

many

people

believe

that

humans can pleasing God through sacrificing, worshiping, praying and chanting.

In Taoism s major festivals, there are a few sacrificial ceremonies which are indispensable

for

the

religious

activities.

Traditionally

each

of

these

ceremonies

including

these

stages:

purification, invocation for the deities, prayers, consecration and offerings, hymns, chanting and

dances, and perambulations.

The most important type of sacrificial ceremony stands for local communities. This kind of

type includes ceremonies to install the religious space, ceremonies of fasting, of communion or

offering, and to disperse the religious ceremonial space.

Ceremonies

stands

for

the

community

can

be

extraordinarily

expensive,

and

household

donations

and community

leaders

paid

for

it.

Apart

from

the

ceremonies

themselves,

there

will

also be plays, processions, military parades, and communal meals.

As for the performance of the sacrificial ceremonies themselves, no mistakes can be made;

no

step

or

recitation

must

falter.

Apprenticed

Taoist

priest

serve

as

musicians;

more

advanced

trainees

assist

by

lighting

incense

and

reciting

certain

passages.

The

heart

of

the

sacrificial

ceremony

is

conducted

by

five

Taoist

priests:

a

Great

Master

and

his

four

assistants.

One

of

these

assistants

heads

the

intricate

and

complex

processions

and

dances,

and

is

responsible

for

knowing the entire sequence of ceremonies. Another prepares that is used during the course of the

entire

ceremony,

and

recites

all

of

the

invocations

and

consecrations,

the

texts

of

purification,

elevation, and confession.

The

Great

Master

is

preparing

for

his

role

during

much

of

the

activities,

he

quietly

murmuring

secret

formulas

with

his

hands

inside

his

sleeves.

At

times

he

picks

up

the

incense

burner and holds it as he breathes in and out, facing different directions, or he burns talismanic

symbols or initials documents. Primarily, he enacts internally the actions spoken by the texts that

are being recited by his assistant.

At a certain point, he rises and performs the

Then he falls prostrate, in a fetal position with arms and legs under his body, face in hands, as the

internally journeys to the Heavenly Assembly, locus of the Heavenly Worthies, accompanied by

divine escorts.

In this case, the master is the mountain, just as the incense burner and the altar

are also the mountain. In ancient times, the altar was built upon a series of graduated steps, so that

the master actually ascended the steps at this point in the ceremony, but these days the ascent is

entirely internal.

There

he

presents

the

memorial

that

is

the

heart

of

the

sacrifice

ceremonial

texts.

The

memorial is a petition to the gods, written in literary language, stating the name and purpose of the

ceremony, its date and location, the names and addresses of the participants, and a vow

—

that is a

request and a pledge on behalf of all the participants.

Standing again, the master burns the memorial and scatters the ashes, gathers his escorts, and

returns. Afterward, there is more chanting and more music, but the main portion of the ritual has

occurred.

In breaking down the religious sacrificial space, all talismans, writs, and other markers

of the ceremonial space are burned.

Afterward there is a communal banquet, with plenty of food

available for the orphan souls who cannot become ancestors.

Taoist sacrificial ceremonies are colorful, filled with music, incense, and stylized movements.

Much of Chinese drama is influenced by Taoist ceremony.

Some forms of ceremonies involve trance, and the exorcism of demons. These usually occur

during festivals, and are regarded as being of a lower order than the ceremonies of the Taoist priest.

To communicate with the dead, a miniature sedan chair carried by two people may become the

seat of a deity who will, through the movement of the chair, dictate a response to settle a conflict

between dead and living family members.

Here is an example, the barefoot masters, like the Taoist priest, have their ceremonial texts,

long epics that describe voyages to spirit realms. They often paint their faces in elaborate masks,

like

those

of

Chinese

opera

characters.

They

might

enact

a

battle

against

the

demons,

with

swords and military music, and strike themselves with their weapons, drawing blood.

The blood

is regarded as protection against evil, and the act, a form of expiation for the sins of all. Tissues

are applied to the wounds to soak up a bit of blood, and then taken home and stuck on doorframes

to ward off evil.

About ceremonial activity in Taoism today, only Taoist priests are understood to be

Daily involvement with Taoism on the part of the laity is not ritualized in any particular way.

In

immigrant communities, Taoism has been merged with other religions, and has integrated many

popular practices.

Small

voluntary

contributions

are

sometimes

given

for

this

and

other

services,

such

as

the

healing of childhood fears and individual purifications.

When children are brought, the parent

will first explain the problem; then the Taoist priest will prepare a talisman, curse the demons who

have caused the fear, and spit a mouthful of talisman water into the child's face.

Depletion of

energy

in

adults,

the

cause

of

many

illnesses,

will

sometimes

be

treated

by

burning

lamps

representing

the

stars

of

the

Dipper.

The

Taoist

priest

will

also

sometimes

prescribe

herbal

medicines,

perform

acupuncture,

or

do

an

astrological

reading,

always

in

conjunction

with

a

ceremonial cure.

In addition the Taoist priest will perform several self-cultivating practices on a regular basis.

Among

these

might

be

gymnastic

or

breath-control

exercises,

special

diets,

meditation,

etc.

Visualization practices are common, such as visualizing the gods within the body or visualizing

journeys to the celestial palaces.

These exercises are performed on certain days, and at certain

times of the day, establishing harmony with the celestial realms.

Sometimes the Taoist priest will

engage in retreats, long vigils during which sleep is forbidden, or fasts, during which they abstain

from sexual activity and avoid certain foods.

The

object

of

these

sacrificial

ceremonies

is

to

the

One,

that

is,

to

gather

one's

energies lest they become scattered, to worship and give the devotion of the deities, to remain in

harmony

with

the

natural

rhythms

and

cycles

of

the

cosmos,

and

to

experience

the

to

cosmic unity.

2.1 The West-The equality between human and god

The western religious sacrifice ceremony has shows the equality between human and god.

Sacrifices in western country were thus instructive as well as worshipful. They were accompanied

by prayer, devotion, dedication and represented an acknowledgment on the part of the individual

of his duty towards God, also a thankfulness to the Lord for his life and blessings upon the earth.

According to informative resources, in the West, sacrifices were varied and more complex,

and a multitude of rules were given to govern the procedure. Under the law offerings made to God

must

be

the

offerer?s

own

property,

properly

acquired

.

Altar

sacrifices

were

of

three

kinds:

sin

offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings.

In all the animal sacrifices there were six important acts: The presentation of the sacrifice at

the

sanctuary

door

by

the

sacrificer

himself,

as

his

personal

act.

The

laying

on

of

hands

dedicated

the

animal

to

God

and

made

it

the

sacrificer?s

representative

and

substitute.

They

slaughter the animal, carried out actually the dedication to God that he had ceremonially expressed

by the laying on of hands. A later custom was for the Levites or priests to slaughter the victims.

The priest collected the blood of the animal in a vessel and applied it in various ways and places to

make atonement, then burning the sacrifice on the altar. After the priest had properly prepared the

sacrificial victim he offered it upon the altar of burnt offering.

The fundamental idea of the sin and trespass offerings was atonement, expiation. Atonement

could

be

made

for

unconscious,

unintentional

sins;

noncapital

crimes

(such

as

theft),

after

punishment had been endured; crimes that a man voluntarily confessed, and for which he made

compensation.

Trespass

or

guilt

offerings

were

a

particular

kind

of

sin

offering.

Certain

sins

might

be

regarded as robbery, or a violation of right, or an injury, whether in relation to God directly, by

neglecting

some

ceremonies

and

services,

payments,

and

offerings.

In

either

case

these

sins

requiring

compensation.

This

compensation

was

made

ethically,

by

the

trespass

offering;

materially, by making restitution.

The

burnt

offering

got

its

name

from

the

idea

of

the

smoke

of

the

sacrifice

ascending

to

heaven. The characteristic ceremony was the burning of the whole animal on the altar. A burnt

offering, called the continual burnt offering, was offered twice daily, morning and evening.

Peace offerings, as the name indicates, presupposed that the sacrificer was at peace with God;

they

were

offered

for

the

further

realization

and

enjoyment

of

that

peace.

The

characteristic

ceremony

was

the

sacrificial

meal.

A

feast

symbolized

fellowship

and

friendship

among

all

its

partakers and providers, and also a state of joy and gladness.

The ceremony of the three different kinds of animal sacrifices was identical in regard to the

presentation, the imposition of hands, and the slaughtering by the offerer himself. It was sprinkled

against the veil seven times and put upon the horns of the altar of incense in the sin offerings of

the high priest and the whole congregation. It was also sprinkled on the front of the mercy seat in

the

sin

offering

of

the

Day

of

Atonement.

The

remainder

of

the

blood

was

poured

out

at

the

bottom

of

the

altar

of

burnt

offering.

The

blood

of

the

trespass,

burnt,

and

peace

offering

was

sprinkled on the altar of burnt offering round about.

In

the

ceremony

of

the

peace

offering,

the

ceremonies

of

waving

(the

breast)

and

heaving

should

be

noticed.

It

is

noteworthy

that

when

the

three

offerings

were

offered

together,

the

sin

always preceded the burnt, and the burnt the peace offerings. Thus the order of the symbolizing

sacrifices was the order of atonement, sanctification, and fellowship with God.

Through

the

procedure

of

Western

sacrificial

ceremonies,

it

is

not

difficult

to

draw

a

conclusion that the relationship between human beings and God tend to be more equally. People

have the right to choose weather or not they will offer sacrificial ceremonies to God and heaven.

3 The Origin of Sacrifice Culture Differences in China and the West

3.1 Political origin

3.1.1 China- Unified political system

In ancient time, since China has been unified by Qin Shihuang, the formal establishment of a

centralized system of Despotism has been officially set up: the supreme ruler is the emperor .The

establishment of the system of feudal society lasting in the late spring and autumn period, but it

went collapse in Qing Dynasty. There is no doubt to say, the system of feudal society has a great

influence

on Chinese

culture.

System

of

feudal

society

has

been

accompanied by

the

autocratic

monarchy system, and it also has far-reaching influence on Chinese ceremonial culture.

It

has

different

effects

in

social

and

cultural

aspects.

The

positive

effects

are

to

establish,

multi-ethnic

feudal

state

in

consolidation

and

development,

to

safeguard

national

unity

and

territorial integrity. In a large extent, it forced the sacrificial ceremony of old China developed in a

unique

way.

When

it

comes

to

sacrificial

ceremony,

the

central-unified

political

system

of

Qin

Dynasty takes the domination of the whole society. When Taoist planning sacrificial ceremony for

worshiping

heaven,

it

can

effectively

organize

citizen

and

engaged

in

large- scale

production

of

ceremonial

activities.

I

t?

s

conducive

to

the

integration

of

different

kind

of

religions

such

as

the

Taoism,

Confucianism

and

Buddhism

in

different

ethnic

groups,

and

also

conducive

to

the