将失落的广东地方民俗文化重新带入大众视野

禾谷夫人

原文

香山村落,多祀禾谷夫人,或以为后稷之母姜嫄云。予谓里有社稷,社,土神也。稷,谷神也。祈年报赛,以二神为归足矣。乃立淫宇而享祀无度,非礼莫甚焉。姜嫄之祠在武功,天下无之,无已则改祠田祖乎,田祖者先农也。《诗》曰:"琴瑟击鼓,以御田祖。"然古时田祖之祀,与社稷皆坛而不屋,社稷之坛有常,田祖之坛无常,有常以为主,无常以为客。然则社稷而外,民有侯禳禳襘之事,亦可以无之他所矣。

白话

中文

香山县(今中山市)的村落里,很多地方都祭祀一位名叫“禾谷夫人”的神祇,有人认为她就是周朝始祖后稷的母亲姜嫄。但我(屈大均)认为,乡里已经有了社稷神坛,社神是土地之神,稷神是谷物之神。祈求丰年和酬谢神恩,有这两位正统的神祇就足够了。现在竟然另外建立不正当的庙宇(淫宇)来毫无节制地祭祀这位禾谷夫人,没有比这更不合乎礼制的了。姜嫄的祠庙在武功县(陕西),天下其他地方并没有(专门祭祀她的)。如果实在要祭祀(与农业相关的神),那不如改去祭祀田祖吧?田祖就是先农(神农氏或古代发明农业的帝王)。《诗经》里说:“弹琴、鼓瑟、敲鼓,来迎接田祖神。”然而,古代祭祀田祖,和祭祀社稷一样,都是只设祭坛而不建造庙宇房屋的。社稷神的祭坛是固定场所,而田祖神的祭坛则没有固定场所(临时设立)。固定的(社稷)是主祭对象,不固定的(田祖)是从祀对象(或临时祭祀)。既然如此,那么在社稷神之外,民众如果还有祈福禳灾、祓除不祥等祭祀活动,也完全可以在社稷坛或临时设立的祭坛进行,不必再到其他那些不正当的场所(淫祠)去了。

英文

In the villages of Xiangshan County (present-day Zhongshan), many people worship a deity called "Lady of the Rice Grain" (Hegu Furen). Some believe her to be Jiang Yuan, the mother of Houji (Lord Millet), the ancestor of the Zhou Dynasty. However, I (Qu Dajun) maintain that the community already has the altars for Sheji (Gods of Soil and Grain); She is the god of the earth, and Ji is the god of grain. For praying for a good harvest year and offering thanksgiving sacrifices, relying on these two legitimate deities is sufficient. Yet, they now establish improper temples (yinyu) and offer excessive sacrifices to this Lady of the Rice Grain, which is the height of impropriety according to ritual norms. The temple dedicated to Jiang Yuan is located in Wugong County (Shaanxi); nowhere else under Heaven is she specifically worshipped. If one absolutely must worship (an agricultural deity), why not worship Tianzu (the Field Ancestor) instead? Tianzu is the First Farmer (Shennong or ancient sage kings credited with inventing agriculture). The Book of Songs says: "With zithers, large and small, and drums, they welcome the Field Ancestor." However, in ancient times, the sacrifices to Tianzu, like those to Sheji, were performed on altars, not within temple buildings. The altar for Sheji was permanent, while the altar for Tianzu was temporary. The permanent (Sheji) was considered the primary object of worship, the temporary (Tianzu) the secondary (or occasional). Therefore, besides Sheji, if the common people have needs for praying for blessings, averting disasters, or exorcising evil (hourang ranghui), they can certainly perform these rituals [at the Sheji altar or a temporary one], without needing to go to those other improper places (illicit shrines).

文化解读/分析

此条目反映了清初广东香山地区存在特定的民间农业女神信仰——“禾谷夫人”,并再次展现了作者屈大均以儒家正统礼制观念批判“淫祀”的立场。

  1. 地方性农业神祇:“禾谷夫人”是香山地区特有的民间神祇,其信仰与当地的农业生产息息相关。民众将其与谷物丰收联系起来,体现了农业社会对粮食生产的重视和对神祇保佑的依赖。将其附会为姜嫄,则试图为地方神祇寻找一个更古老、更具权威性的源头。
  2. 儒家礼制的批判视角:屈大均明确将祭祀禾谷夫人的行为斥为“淫祀”、“非礼”。他认为国家祀典中已有正统的土地神(社)和谷神(稷),足以满足民众祈求丰年的需求。另立庙宇祭祀非正统神祇,是对国家礼制秩序的破坏和僭越。
  3. 正统与民间信仰的张力:条目清晰地展示了官方推崇的正祀(社稷、田祖)与地方自发形成的俗祀(禾谷夫人)之间的区别和冲突。屈大均试图用儒家认可的、符合古礼的神祇(如田祖)来取代民间信仰,体现了士大夫阶层移风易俗、规范民间信仰的努力。
  4. 对祭祀形式的考证与规范:屈大均引经据典(《诗经》),考证古代祭祀社稷和田祖的形式是“坛而不屋”(设坛不建庙),并区分了主祀(社稷,有常)和从祀/临时祭祀(田祖,无常)。他以此论证,即使有额外的祈禳需求,也应在合乎礼制的场所(社稷坛或临时坛)进行,而非去“淫宇”。这不仅是对祭祀对象的规范,也是对祭祀场所和形式的规范。
  5. 民间信仰的生命力:尽管屈大均对此持批判态度,但“香山村落,多祀禾谷夫人”的记述本身就说明了该信仰在当地的普遍性和深厚根基。这反映了民间信仰往往更能贴近地方民众的实际需求和情感寄托,具有强大的生命力,难以被官方意志完全取代或规范。

总而言之,该条目通过对“禾谷夫人”信仰的记述与批判,为我们了解清初广东特定地域(香山)的民间农业信仰提供了实例,并生动地揭示了儒家正统礼制观念与地方民间习俗之间的持续对话、张力与博弈。

关键词

禾谷夫人, 香山, 中山, 广东, 岭南, 民俗, 信仰, 农业神, 谷神, 淫祀, 非礼, 屈大均, 广东新语, 社稷, 后稷, 姜嫄, 田祖, 先农, 儒家, 礼制, 民间信仰, 地方神祇, 祈年, 报赛

上一篇
下一篇

评论区(暂无评论)

我要评论

昵称
邮箱
网址
0/200
没有评论
目录导航

更多文档