端午风俗中的人与环境——基于社会生态史的新考察

The Relations of Hmnan Being and the Environment on Dragon Boat Festival from a Social-ecological Perspective

采用社会生态史的立场,对端午风俗特别是饮食和防疫习俗进行新的考察,可见:端午风俗根植于古老的"恶月"观念,其主题是通过各种活动,顺应时气之变化,应对溽暑季节不利环境因素对健康的威胁。作为端午的标志食品——粽子"取阴阳尚相裹未分散之时象"和因屈原而作等说法,均系后人的曲解和附会,实则具有古老悠久的南方饮食文化渊源,是端午民俗主题下的一种功能食品,其产生和流传的情况反映了饮食方式与风俗对于生态环境的密切依存关系;以避邪、止恶、驱毒和防疫为主的端午民俗事象非常繁杂,但具有其内在的文化逻辑,既反映了生态环境对人类生命活动的影响,亦反映了古人对环境威胁的认识和应对。

A new investigation has been adopted to study Dragon Boat Festival customs, especially which of special diet and disease- prevention by a social- ecological perspective. There are several arguments as following： Firstly, the Dragon Boat Festival customs originated from the ancient concept of ＂Evll Month＂ （恶月）, and got rid of the threats to health caused by adverse environmental factors of the sweltering summer through various activities. Secondly, the ＂glutinous rice dumplings＂ （粽子）, as a symbolic food of the festival, may originated from the Southern dietary culture in a very early ancient time but without relations to the legends of symbol that ＂Yin and Yang is still wrapped＂ orto memory Qu Yuan, which are false hearsays. However, the spread of the legends demonstrated close interdependent relation between dietary customs and ecological environment in Chinese history. Lastly, there was a very complicated collection for the festival customs with an intrinsic cultural logic to avoid evils, remove fierce things, and to dispel poisonous substances and vaccination. All these customs reflect not only the remarkable impacts of ecological environment to human life, but also the ancient understanding of the environment and responding to the threats.