冠礼起源于母系氏族时期考

Chinese Initiation Rites Originated in Matrilineal Society

学术界普遍认为,冠礼起源于父系氏族时期。但是,这种观点并不正确,因为成人礼在母系氏族时期就已经产生了,其证据主要有:成人礼是适应族外群婚制的需要而诞生的,仰韶文化时期先民已有成人观念,大汶口文化早期已有拔牙以标志成年的习俗,上古时期人人都须通过成人仪式,士冠礼中有冠者见母与姑姊的环节却没有见父的规定以及近现代民族学资料等等。

Most scholars think Chinese initiation rites began in the time of patrilineal society. But this viewpoint is wrong, because the ceremony came into being in matriclan times, rather than patrilineal society. The evidences mainly include; the ceremony was concomitant of outside clan communal marriage; people who lived in Yangshao era had adult idea already; in the early days of Dawenkou culture people pull out several teeth to mark their coming of puberty; initially everybody must pass the ceremony of passage; during the ceremony, young men who belonged to Shi estate must pay a formal visit to his mother, elder sister, paternal aunt, but didn＇t call on his father, modern anthropological data and so on.