信仰食物:祭品的神性“营养”

Sacred Food:The Divine “Nutrition” in Sacrificial Offerings

基于学界饮食文化意义本身研究的丰硕成果,以宗教人类学的视角对物质文化进程中的食物信仰性进行探究。专就族群赖以生存的基本食物的文化属性详加分析,窥探其在体制性宗教信仰与民族民间宗教信仰文化观念的建构过程中,表现路径之不同和所承载的重要作用。无论是体制性宗教的特殊标志,还是民族民间宗教信仰中以祭品加以改造的方式,都相当程度阐释出信仰食物在与神灵互通实践中的精神营养内涵,以及于此两种文化信仰氛围之下的饮食男女的意义关系。

When a particular food is selected to be used in sacrifices, and when this food is giv- en to the people in the name of deities, this action reflects a regional-cultural scenario. After the food has been blessed and offered in the name of the de- ities, it is said to contain a kind of sacred or divine ＂nutrition＂ which is believed blesses the people. Or, it might be said that the sacrifices are presen- ted to the deities as a kind of gift. After the deities have ＂enjoyed＂ them, the sacrificial food returns to its original nature--thus, becoming food again. We call this kind of food which is transformed through rituals or food that is given to people in the name of deities ＂sacred food＂. With regard to the anthropology of food, this is an interesting perspec- tive, and it can provide us some interesting revela- tions, for instances, sacred food＇s controlling of man＇s desire for food, or the meaning of ＂double- nutrition＂ in sacred food.