明清佛山庙会的酬神戏——以佛山祖庙北帝诞庙会为考察中心

On the Gods-rewarding Plays at Foshan Temple Fairs during the Ming and Qing Dynasties

在"神"支配一切的传统社会里,人们祈雨贺晴、消灾祈福、求子生财等都依靠神明的保佑,因此酬神献戏便成为一种风俗。酬神献戏往往以家族、宗族为主导,在佛山,酬神戏或神功戏则以八图里甲、世家大族为主导。在节庆时聘请戏班演出酬神戏有利于社区的整合及和谐氛围的建设。

In the traditional society where 'gods' controlled everything,people prayed to gods for rain,for celebrating good weather,for sending a son and for bringing fortune and thus the performance of god-rewarding plays became a custom.Such activities were often organized by clans.In Foshan,they were dominated by neighborhoods or leading families.The performance of such plays during festivals was conducive to community integration and the fostering of a harmonious atmosphere.