A Research On Folk Religion In The West Of Henan Province In Ming And Qing Dynasty

In recent years, folk religion has become an important research field of social history,which is placed under visual angle of regional history study. This article will be region locked in the YuXi area (western of Henan Province),setting in daily and turmoil of Ming and Qing dynasties through to the folk beliefs and social regulation, folk beliefs and social change there are two groups of demonstration analysis, show the rich connotation of folk beliefs in the YuXi of Ming and qing dynasties, revealing the relationship between the state power and rural society, big tradition and small tradition, folk beliefs and social order.Natural and cultural ecology in the west of Henan Province gave birth to the relatively complete system of folk belief, folk belief in the west of Henan Province in the Ming and Qing dynasties, for example, the completeness reflected in folk deity of regional distribution, industry attributes, the classification of thinking and ritual level. In respect of time dimension, many temples have a long history, reflecting excellent cultural continuity, in the west of Henan Province in the Ming and Qing dynasties folk society. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the emergence of new features, such as policy changes, customs changes, business development and folk beliefs in the west of Henan bring the flavor of the times. In respect of space dimension, first of all, folk belief of western Henan during the Ming and Qing dynasties has the commonness of folk beliefs in Central Plains, such as orthodox strong, enshrined universal phenomenon, magical atmosphere strong. Secondly, folk belief of western Henan during the Ming and Qing dynasties in the Central Plains folk belief has unique characteristics, such as by Qin Jin Chu affect larger, the Han dynasty personality of Godhead developed. Finally, the region has the difference, for example, local customs of different gods.Daily and turmoil are two different condition of folk society, in which folk beliefs has a alternate development. In daily state, YuXi folk belief in the Ming and Qing dynasties is under administrative control by official and the moral support of neo-confucianism. Official regulation aims at constructing orthodox sacrifice, by building orthodox system, generalizing strongly orthodox function, destroying unorthodox sacrifices, punishing strictly cults and so on. Regarding folk beliefs as a channel, the central government will implement the national consciousness to therural society by YuXi provincialgovernment. For the purpose of pushing Confucianism, neo-confucianists put into practice in method of building up academies, initiating giving lectures, repudiating heresy and promoting the gods Confucianism. Neo-confucianists elite expect to complete permeability of great tradition into little tradition through guiding, educating and adjusting pepole’s mind. Official administrative control and neo-confucianism moral support exist overlapping, such as double identity of neo-confucianism bureaucrats. But in most cases, there are obvious differences because of the difference of regulating the purpose and method.The turmoil including natural disasters and man-made disasters is another kind of living environment for folk belief in Ming and Qing dynasties. The article selects the earthquake of the Jiajing period, flood disaster of the Qianlong period, peasant uprising of the late Ming dynasty and religious rebellion of to analyze folk belief in the west of Henan Province in the social change. The Social upheavals destroyed local order, leading to be out of control of the whole social system counting in the folk belief, for example, the peasant uprising at the end of the Ming dynasty. Folk belief lose social regulation, which would destroy the local order,and cause social events, such as the religious rebellion of the mid of Jiaqing period. Social turmoil and belief out of control are each other’s essential perequisites. Folk belief and local order bound together in a common cause. The reconstruction goes hand in hand with the destruction. The reconstruction of material carrier and the spiritual domain is not consistent for folk Belief of YuXi. For example, material carrier of temple is often rebuilt after a turmoil, while the spirit morphology such as magical legends or deity inductions is frequently reestablished in chaos. Compared with the daily events, the turmoil accelerats the metabolism of the system of folk belief.In face of the official control and neo-confucianism’s moral assistance, the local society made a positive response on the ground. Part of orthodox sacrifice is widely popular in the west of Henan Province, which shows the folk transformation of orthodox sacrifice. This is not only due to the official administrative control, but also a timely response in civil society, such as the promote of seniors and the self-adjust of people. Neo-confucianism’ moral support resulted folk belief had always been a moral appeal and the phenomenon of deity Confucianism had been gradually universal. The localized aspects of folk belief of YuXi during the Ming and Qing dynasties reflected in civil production, traditional festivals, folk art, temple fairs of folk custom and other daily life. Folk belief in the west of Henan Province during the Ming and Qing dynasties permeated every aspect of daily life, which depent on folk belief had relatively complete social function.