湘中“赞土地”及其赞词艺术探析

Analysis of Land God Worship and Worshipping Eulogy in Central Hunan Province

"赞土地"远在西周时期便在湘中一带流行,此后逐步发展、充实,到清朝、民国时期,这一古老的民间说唱艺术发展到鼎盛。新中国成立后,这一艺术与时俱进,深受人们的喜爱。"赞土地"之赞词可划分为赞人(职业)、赞行业、赞民间艺术、赞民俗等4个大类,200余个小类。其艺术特色主要体现在四个方面:运用方言土语演唱;内容朴实无华,反映现实生活;演唱形式生动活泼,不受时间、空间限制;唱词赞美祖先,弘扬传统美德。

'Land God Worship',an ancient Chinese talking-singing art,was popular in Central Hunan Province as early as in the Western Zhou Dynasty,and reached its climax in the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China through consistent development.After the establishment of the new China,'Land God Worship'has kept up with times and enjoyed high popularity among local people. The worshipping eulogy consists of 4 categories,namely,worshipping individuals( of a career),industries,folk art,and folk customs,which can be further divided into 200 subcategories. Such worship has the following four artistic features: talking and singing in local dialects; reflecting real life with sincere words; vivid talking and singing in various forms and with no restriction on the occasion and the venue; praising ancestors and advocating traditional virtues.