通往天堂之路——中世纪英国死亡仪式探微

The Road to Heaven: Death Rituals of England in the Middle Ages

死亡仪式因其承担的文化功能而成为人类学家理解人类社会的视角之一。西方的死亡仪式在中世纪早期完成基督教化之后,主要围绕如何救赎灵魂展开。按照阿诺德·范热内普的"过渡仪式"理论,中世纪英国的死亡仪式包括分离、阈限和聚合三个阶段,即准备死亡(与上帝和解)、丧礼(祈祷和埋葬)和追思(七日追思、月追思和周年追思)。中世纪英国的死亡仪式反映出当时的大众心态、社会等级结构,并具有使生者缓解焦虑情绪、团结共同体的功能。因此,作为社会的一面镜子,中世纪英国死亡仪式具有很高的研究价值。

Death rituals have been one of the perspectives for anthropologists to understand human society due to the cultural functions they assume. After the Christianization in the early Middle Ages, western death rituals were operated with focus on souls＇ salvation. According to Arnold Van Gennep＇s theory of Rites of Passage, death rituals of medieval England included three stages： preparation for death （making peace with God, namely separation）, funeral （the Office of the dead and burial, namely transition） and remembrance （week＇s and month＇s mind, anniversary, namely incorporation）. Medieval English death rituals reflected the popular psychology and social hierarchy of that time. Besides, they also relieved anxieties of living persons and brought community together. Consequently, as a mirror of the society, death rituals of medieval England deserve being studied.