潮汕“营老爷”习俗及其文化审视

A Cultural Investigation of the Custom of Worshipping Camp Lords in the Chaoshan Area

"营老爷"是潮汕地区一种非常普遍而极其隆重的民间节俗活动。"营老爷"习俗具有一定的愚昧迷信成分,存在一定的隐患,容易引发宗族矛盾,潜伏社会不和谐的因素,但也具有心理满足、心理慰藉、文化传承、娱乐、自我保护、社会整合等文化功能;具有增强战胜困难、敦睦乡情乡谊、活跃节日气氛、丰富群众文化生活、推动民间工艺发展等文化意义。必须加强对潮汕"营老爷"习俗研究,科学有效地促进"营老爷"习俗的传统守成与现代变革,以此带动整个潮汕民俗文化的创新,发挥潮汕民俗在建设文化强市、幸福潮汕中的积极作用。

Worshipping Camp Lords is a very popular and solemn folk festival in the Chaoshan area.Beginning as a form of ancestors ’ reverence for gods,it is usually celebrated around the lantern festival.The lords of the camps could be fairly complicated since there are two types of camps: liberal and martial.The camp lord festival has an ignorant and superstitious element and may lead to potential problems such as giving rise to clan conflicts and inharmonious society,but it can perform such cultural functions as psychological satisfaction,mental slackening,cultural inheritance,amusement,self-protection,and social integration.Besides,it plays a cultural role in increasing one’s courage to overcome difficulties,improving the community connections,enlivening the festive atmosphere,enriching the cultural life of the masses and enhancing the development of folk handicrafts.We suggest that more efforts be devoted to the research into the custom of Camp Lords and that the conventional inheritance and modern innovation of the custom be conducted scientifically and effectively.In so doing,we hope that the innovation of the Chaoshan folk culture can be speeded up and that the local customs can play an active part in building a culturally strong city and a happy Chaoshan.