贵州民间魂魄信仰——湄潭过关仪式之研究之二

Aspects of Folk Soul Faith in Guizhou:An Investigation of Barrier Passing Rites in Meitan County (Part 2)

举凡人们的生死观念、灵魂观念、他界观念、巫术禁忌等等文化观念构成了"魂魄信仰"的实质内容,这种意识形态的东西,并非游离于仪式之外的某种"文化"之内,而是藉以特定的仪式-譬如丧葬、超度、过关、冲傩、还愿、祭祖、追魂招魂、打替身等而存在于或展现于种种民俗活动之中,并且被认为与人们的生老病死、吉凶祸福密切相关,从而在百姓生活中占有举足轻重的地位。本文以贵州湄潭汉族的儿童过关仪式为个案探讨了贵州民间的魂魄信仰问题,从而揭示出百姓对疾病、生死、他界、灵魂的认知与信念。

Cultural ideas such as witchcraft taboo, soul idea, other world idea and the idea of life and death of ordinary persons constitute the essential content of'soul faith';these ideas do not belong to a certain'culture'that is free of rituals, but exist in the various folk activities in the form of rites-like those of burial, soul releasing and barrier passing, disaster rushing, promised wish fulfilling and sacrificing to ancestors and beating the substitute. These ideas used to be considered closely related to life, death, illness, agedness, misfortune and good fortune in a person's life. As a result, the ideas play a very important role in people's life. By studying the case of barrier passing rite held by children of the Han people in Meitan County, Guizhou Province, this paper discusses some aspects of the soul faith in Guizhou and reveals people's ideas and faiths towards disease, life and death, other world and soul.