明清时期徽州的清明会及其清明墓祭活动初探

On Qingming Association and Its Tomb Sacrifice Activities of Huizhou in the Ming and Qing Dynasties

清明会是明代中叶以降徽州重要的墓祭组织。文章通过分析大量徽州文书和家谱等文献,对清明会的创立原因、结构、功能、特点、资金筹措等内容进行详细分析,认为在明朝礼制变革和徽商崛起、徽州科第兴盛以及跨地域联宗的时代背景下,由族长或宗子主持的徽州宗族墓祭,开始转向由清明会主持。这一转向,反映了徽州宗族族长、宗子以尽义务形式主持的墓祭制度已难以维系,不得不采取由族众以会员入股集资、会首轮流值守司年制的清明会或墓祀会方式,开展祭祖活动。它既为墓祭活动提供了充足的经济保障,也调动了会首和会员参与墓祭的主动性和积极性,确保了清明墓祭活动的开展与维系。但清明会主持的清明墓祭等活动,不仅没有削弱徽州的宗族控制,反而强化了宗族上层精英在祖先名义下对宗族成员的控制。

Qingming association was a significant ancestor worship organization in Huizhou since the middle of the Ming Dynasty.We researched that the reasons,structure,functions,characteristics,financing and operation mechanism of Qingming association based on the analysis of a large number of documents such as Huizhou documents and genealogy.This paper points out that the sacrifices to the tombs of Huizhou clans hosted by the head of clan or clan heir turned to be hosted by Qingming association.This turn reflected the fact that the system of tomb sacrifices presided over by the head of clan or of clan heir in Huizhou had been difficult to maintain,and they had to take the form of the Qingming association or tomb sacrifices association,which were organized by members of the clan,raising funds by means of members’ share and an annual system of the chairman on duty by turn,carried out ancestor worship activities.It not only provided sufficient economic guarantee for the tomb sacrifice activities,but also mobilized the initiative and positivity of the chairman and the members of the association to participate in the tomb sacrifice,ensuring the development and maintenance of the tomb sacrifice activities during Qingming.However,the tomb sacrifice activities hosted by Qingming association not only did not weaken the clan control of Huizhou,but also elites strengthened the control to clan members in the name of ancestors.