民间社祭中的“马裨”初探

A Preliminary Study of Mabi Dancers in Shamanistic Rituals

马裨是传统社会社祭中的神灵附体者,在乡村赛社及祈雨仪式中带血狂舞,驱魔禳灾,是民间社会最神秘的现象之一。从现有文献来看,马裨最早出现在清代早期,目前在华北个别乡村依然存在,历经三百余年。其流传区域几乎遍布全国,传播途径不详。马裨往往通过"插口钎"等血腥方式获得神灵附体,在社祭中以近乎癫狂的舞蹈来达到驱魔目的。成员多数并非专业神职人员,主要来源于下层村民,均为男性。除驱魔以外,马裨亦可看病与祈雨,兼有觋与傩的双重特点,同时也携带有原始血祭的某种特征。从下层民众到神的地位逆转所带来的精神层面巨大满足,是数百年来民间马裨文化能够生生不息的主要原因。

Mabi refers to those who are possessed of spirits when performing rituals in Chinese traditional society. The ritual dance performed by Mabi is wild, frantic, and bloody scaring, and is one of the most mysterious phenomena in Chinese folk society. According to the existing literature, Mabi dance appeared first in early Qing （1644-1911）, and soon spread all over China in a way unknown to us, and remains active in some rural areas in North China today. Mabi dances will first invite spirits to possess them through the bloody method of thrusting a borer into the mouth, and then perform exorcist dance in a frenzied trance condition. Hardly any Mabi dancers are professional shamans but male, village people who are from the bottom of the society. In addition to exercising exorcism, they also perform the ritual dance to treat ailments or to pray for rain. In this sense, Mabi dancers perform a dual role as exorcist and witch doctor. Traces are left in their ritual dance of ancient forms of blood sacrifice. Low-born Mabi dancers are elevated to the status comparable to that of a deity when they are possessed to perform the ritual. From this they gain great psychological satisfaction. This is the main reason for this bloody tradition to last more than 300 years until today.