“夜哭帖”民俗内涵考释

A Study On the Folklore Connotation oof"Night-cry Poster"

中国民间借助“夜哭帖”来阻止小儿夜间哭闹的习俗由来已久,表面看是受道教符咒文化的影响,然而在巫文化的视角下审视这一民俗现象,则会发现其原本的精神内核。一方面“夜哭帖”所具备的咒语效用,根源乃是远古巫文化中语言崇拜所带来的神圣性;另一方面“夜哭帖”强调与路人的互动性念诵,则有将孩童哭闹这一灾祸转移出去的目的,而这一点也在与世界其他民族同类现象的参照对比中得到进一步印证。

The folk use of"night-cry poster"to stop children from crying at night has a long history in China.On the surface,it seems to be infuenced by the Daoist mantra tradition;however,examining this folk phenomenon from the perspective of witch culture will reveal its original spiritual core.On the one hand,the"night-cry poster"as a mantra is rooted in the sacredness brought about by language worship in ancient witchcraft culture;on the other hand,the"night-cry poster"emphasizes the interactive chanting with passers-by.The later aims to transfer the disaster of children's crying,which a comparison with other similar phenomena worldwide can further confirm.