公祭的语义衍变、古今形态与当代实践

Public Memorial Ceremony:Semantic Evolution,Forms Ancient and Modern and Contemporary Practice

"公祭"一词自古就有,但意义与今天不同。公祭的历史语义,有"国君之祭"、"朝廷宗庙祭祀"、"宗族共祭祖先"三种。古代公祭分别在国家(大)、地方(中)、家族(小)三个层面展开,所践行的是儒家中国"慎终追远、民德归厚"的社会伦理观念和长幼尊卑有序的礼仪等级制度。现代公祭在19世纪末20世纪初的民族主义思潮影响下兴起,其内容和形式糅合了西方国家纪念性典礼和传统公共祭祀的思想与行为模式。从历史发展趋势来看,现代公祭的实践主体已逐渐由中央政府转向地方和民间,并开始朝着"公天下"的方向延伸。复兴于20世纪80年代的当代公祭在举办形式上仍需进一步改革,但这并不影响公祭本身的历史进步性和现实意义。

The term ＂public memorial ceremony＂ has existed since the ancient times,but the meanings in the past and at present are different. In the past,it happens at the ranks of the state, the local and family for implementing, on the one hand, the social ethical ideology that attends carefully to the funeral rites of parents and follow them when gone with due sacrifices and,on the other,the hierarchical institution that distinguishes the priority in status. Modern public memorial ceremony ari- ses under the influence of nationalistic ideology around the beginning of the 20th century. It is a reconciliation of the relevant traditions of both the West and our own. And today the practice subject per se has gradually moved downward from the Cen- tral Government to the local and non-governmental units,namely, a way towards the public. The current form that has re- vived during 1980s conceives the necessity for further reform,which, however,does not influence the own historical advance- ment and the importance of the practice.