中西方祭祀仪式的差异.docx

中西方祭祀仪式的差异.docx

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中西方祭祀仪式的差异

OntheDifferencesofSacrificialCeremonyinChinaandtheWest

中西方祭祀仪式的差异

Abstract

Sincedifferentcountrieshavedifferenthistoriesandcultures,therearealotofdifferencesinthehabitofconductsandthesacrificeceremony,especiallybetweenChinaandtheWest,thejokesandthemistakescausedbymisunderstandingisnotunusual.ThisshowsthattheunderstandingofthedifferentreligiousculturesbetweenChineseandtheWesternersisabsolutelynecessary.Sacrificialceremonyispartofsocialetiquette,intheofficeorsocialcommunicationoccasions,tounderstandeachother’scustomsandetiquettewillbeconductivetotheexchangesbetweenthecountries.Apersonwhounderstandsothersritualsandfolkcustomscanbeseenasrespectingforothersandcanbeeasiertomakeagoodimpressionontheotherside.AlongwiththeconstantdevelopmentofChinesecultureandWesternculture,theWesternershaveacceptedthereasonablefactorsofheavyaffectionfromChineseculture.ChinesepeoplehavegraduallyacceptedtheadvancedcivilizationoftheWesterncultureandetiquettestyle.However,inreallife,differentsacrificialceremonyandsocialetiquette’simpactduetoculturaldifferencesbetweenChinaandtheWeststillexists.ThepaperexploresthedifferencesofsacrificeceremonybetweenChinaandtheWesttomakeChinesecommunicatewiththeWesternersmoreeasily,avoidandreducetheculturalconflictandmisunderstandingasmuchaspossibleinculturalexchanges.

Keywords：

Culturedifference;Sacrificeceremony;Religiousbelief

摘要

由于各国的历史和文化底蕴不同，各国人民在进行交往时的行为习惯、祭祀礼仪有不少差异。

特别是中西方之间，礼仪上的差异很大。

因为不了解这些差异而引起的误会和笑话也不少见。

由此可见了解中西方交往的习惯差异是很有必要的。

在办公室或社交场合，了解对方客户有利于各国之间的交往。

一个了解对方的礼仪和民俗习惯的人，是对对方的尊重而且很容易给对方留下好印象。

随着中西方文化的不断发展，中西方的礼仪正在相互融合，西方人逐渐接受了中国文化中重情感等合理因素，中国人也逐渐接受了西方文化中先进文明的礼仪和交往方式。

在现实生活中，由于中西方文化的差异对礼仪产生的影响还很多，为此本文探讨并概述了中西方宗教祭祀礼仪的几点差异，使中西方人人们之间的交往更加容易,并在文化交流中尽量避免和减少文化冲突和文化误解。

关键词：

文化差异；祭祀仪式；宗教信仰

TableofContents

1Introduction1

2TheImportantEmbodimentofSacrificeCeremonyCultureBetweenChina

andtheWest2

2.1China-Thedevotionofdeities3

2.2TheWest-Theequalitybetweenhumanandgod6

3TheOriginofSacrificeCultureDifferencesinChinaandtheWest9

3.1Politicalorigin9

3.1.1China-Unifiedpoliticalsystem9

3.1.2TheWest-Diversifiedpoliticalsystem10

3.2Culturalorigin10

3.2.1China-Thecombinationandabsorptionofforeignculture10

3.2.2TheWest-Spreadcultureandculturalexpansion12

3.3Economicorigin13

3.3.1China-Traditionalself-sufficientnaturaleconomy13

3.3.2TheWestIndustrialRevolutionand“IndustrialEconomicEra”14

4NationalCharacteristicsofSacrificeCeremonyCulturalinChinaandthe

West15

4.1Chinese-Advocatestabilizationandharmonioussocialismsociety15

4.2Westerners-Thedevelopmentofindividualwill16

5TheFusionandConflictofSacrificeCeremonyCultureBetweenChinaand

theWest17

5.1Thefusion17

5.2Theconflictandwaystoavoidit18

6Conclusion22

References24

Acknowledgement25

1Introduction

Sacrificialceremoniesarehumanculturalactivitiessuchassacrifice,worship,pray,andchanting,etc.Religiousceremonyhasthefunctiontocelebratefestivals,ithasentangledintopeople’ssociallife,anditbecameapartofthefolkculture.Fromtheconstructionoftheharmonioussociety'spointofview,positiveroleofreligioussacrificialceremonyandconceptsembodiedintheexcitationofhumangoodness,meanwhileitenlightenhumanwisdom,establishself-confidence,purifiedhumanmind,enhancinghumanspirit,adjustinginterpersonalrelationsandresolvingsocialcontradictions.

Inmodernsociety,itseemsthattheworldisgettingsmallerandsmaller,peopleareveryactivewithfrequentexchanges.Humandecencyplaysthebasicroleofsocialethics.Thedifferentsacrificialceremoniescombinedwitheachotherinvariouscountriesandpeopleanditcanbeunderstandbypeopleofdifferentcountriesandnations.Sacrificialceremony,asapartofsocialetiquette,canbesharedbymoreandmorepeopleofdifferentcountries,becausethesocialetiquetteitselfisaculturalphenomenon.Therefore,manycountriesarepayinggreatattentiontocombiningsocialetiquettewithnationalsacrificialceremonycreatively.ThismeansthatthesacrificialceremonyandsocialetiquetteintheWesternandChinesesocietyareinamoreappropriatelocation.

2TheImportantEmbodimentofSacrificeCeremonyCultureinChinaandthe

West

Theessenceofsacrificialceremonyisthemethodofdealingwithpeopleandthebeliefinghostsandspirits.Peopleconsiderthatallthingsarecontrolledbytheghostswhichcannotbeseen.Therefore,sacrificialceremonyisoriginatedfromthebeliefinghostsandspirits,aswellasaspecialformofbeliefinghostsandspirits.Backtofivethousandyearsago,sacrificialceremoniesusedtobethecoreoftraditionalculture.Someexamplessuchaspeoplelightingincenseintemples,prayingforawonderfulbeautifullifeorforamorefantasticfuture;InsomeareassuchasSichuanandChongqing,peopleburnpaperhousesandneitherimitationpapermoney,hopingtoimprovetheirdeceasedfamily’slivingconditions;Intomb-sweepingday,peoplevisittheirancestor’sgravesandsweepawaythedirtofthegraveforrememberinglovedoneswhohavedeparted.Theseareexamplesintermsofsacrificialceremonies.

Generally,anyworshiptowardsgodiscalled"sacrificialceremony";itrefersworshipingtowardsGod,anditwasregardedasorganizedreligiousactivities.

Humanbeingsarethemostimportantpartofreligiousbeliefsandtheyarethesupporterofreligionactivity.Themostimportantconditionistherelationshipbetweenhumanbeingsandgod.Thisrelationshipisfulfilledwithafewreligiousceremonies,andtheyarethecommunicationalchannelsbetweenhumanandgod.Therefore,thereisasetofceremonyinworshipingGodtoexpresstherelationshipbetweenhumanbeingsandGod,humanattempttopleaseGodthroughsacrificing,worshiping,prayingandchanting.TheyhopetheycancommunicatewithGodandprayingthatGodwouldblessallofthemwithagoodfuture.Hence,thereligiousceremonyhasappeared.

2.1China-Thedevotionofdeities

InChinathereisasetofreligioussacrificeceremonyinworshipinggod.TakeTaoism’sexample,accordingtoobservingandvisitingafewTaoisttemple,manypeoplebelievethathumanscanpleasingGodthroughsacrificing,worshiping,prayingandchanting.

InTaoismsmajorfestivals,thereareafewsacrificialceremonieswhichareindispensableforthereligiousactivities.Traditionallyeachoftheseceremoniesincludingthesestages:

purification,invocationforthedeities,prayers,consecrationandofferings,hymns,chantinganddances,andperambulations.

Themostimportanttypeofsacrificialceremonystandsforlocalcommunities.Thiskindoftypeincludesceremoniestoinstallthereligiousspace,ceremoniesoffasting,ofcommunionoroffering,andtodispersethereligiousceremonialspace.

Ceremoniesstandsforthecommunitycanbeextraordinarilyexpensive,andhouseholddonationsandcommunityleaderspaidforit.Apartfromtheceremoniesthemselves,therewillalsobeplays,processions,militaryparades,andcommunalmeals.

Asfortheperformanceofthesacrificialceremoniesthemselves,nomistakescanbemade;nosteporrecitationmustfalter.ApprenticedTaoistpriestserveasmusicians;moreadvancedtraineesassistbylightingincenseandrecitingcertainpassages.TheheartofthesacrificialceremonyisconductedbyfiveTaoistpriests:

aGreatMasterandhisfourassistants.Oneoftheseassistantsheadstheintricateandcomplexprocessionsanddances,andisresponsibleforknowingtheentiresequenceofceremonies.Anotherpreparesthatisusedduringthecourseoftheentireceremony,andrecitesalloftheinvocationsandconsecrations,thetextsofpurification,elevation,andconfession.

TheGreatMasterispreparingforhisroleduringmuchoftheactivities,hequietlymurmuringsecretformulaswithhishandsinsidehissleeves.Attimeshepicksuptheincenseburnerandholdsitashebreathesinandout,facingdifferentdirections,orheburnstalismanicsymbolsorinitialsdocuments.Primarily,heenactsinternallytheactionsspokenbythetextsthatarebeingrecitedbyhisassistant.

Atacertainpoint,herisesandperformsthe"danceofthestars,"dancetowardsthedeities.Thenhefallsprostrate,inafetalpositionwitharmsandlegsunderhisbody,faceinhands,astheinternallyjourneystotheHeavenlyAssembly,locusoftheHeavenlyWorthies,accompaniedbydivineescorts.Inthiscase,themasteristhemountain,justastheincenseburnerandthealtararealsothemountain.Inancienttimes,thealtarwasbuiltuponaseriesofgraduatedsteps,sothatthemasteractuallyascendedthestepsatthispointintheceremony,butthesedaystheascentisentirelyinternal.

Therehepresentsthememorialthatistheheartofthesacrificeceremonialtexts.Thememorialisapetitiontothegods,writteninliterarylanguage,statingthenameandpurposeoftheceremony,itsdateandlocation,thenamesandaddressesoftheparticipants,andavow—thatisarequestandapledgeonbehalfofalltheparticipants.

Standingagain,themasterburnsthememorialandscatterstheashes,gathershisescorts,andreturns.Afterward,thereismorechantingandmoremusic,butthemainportionoftheritualhasoccurred.Inbreakingdownthereligioussacrificialspace,alltalismans,writs,andothermarkersoftheceremonialspaceareburned.Afterwardthereisacommunalbanquet,withplentyoffoodavailablefortheorphansoulswhocannotbecomeancestors.

Taoistsacrificialceremoniesarecolorful,fi