The Cultural Inheritance And Contemporary Functions Of The Family Elite

This thesis focuses on the research of the Moon-worshipping Custom during the Mid-Autumn Festival of Da Wulei village in Xianan,Hubei.This Moon Ceremony,as a rare existing large-scale folk activity in the Mid-Autumn throughout the country,has preserved the precious mass rites of the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival.It is the living folklore heritage of the Moon Festival,and also a valuable database for the study of the traditional ceremony.This paper,starting from the physical space and cultural space of the Moon-worshipping Festival in Da Wulei village,gradually explores its happening context,history of inheritance,pedigree of transmission,then discusses its ceremony rules.What's more,this thesis significantly centers on its revival process after half century and the historical life of family elites.In order to explore the heritage of traditional folk culture,basing on its historical discussion,the cultural heritage and coordination function of family elites in the revival process will be analyzed in detail.The main chapters of this thesis are as follows:The introducing part,mainly from the origin of the topic,straightens out the related research of the paper and explores the content and significance of this research,clearly expounding on the methods,difficulties and innovation points of this study.Chapter One discusses the occurring space of the Moon-worshipping Festival,exploring the contributing factors of this traditional festival mainly from two dimensions:history and geography.In this chapter,the concept of cultural space is introduced so as to analyze the natural and humanistic factors of the unique festival in a more comprehensive way.It is considered that the special geographical space metaphorically expresses the moon worship of the family of Lei,while the interlaced interaction of many beliefs constructs the humanistic foundation of the Moon Festival.Furthermore,the inheritance of Yi-ology of the Lei family has become an important cultural factor for the formation of Moon-worshipping Festival.The sweet-scented osmanthus--the Chang'e--the moon--the Mid-Autumn Festival--the moon worshipping--Lei Yixian born with "a dream of moon"-Lei Yixian's becoming a scholar--Lei Yixian's visiting relatives and worshipping the moon--the formation of the Moon-worshipping Festival,the above is a seamless course from nature to human.Through the image bonding,active imagination and the manipulation of divinity,the status of Lei family is finally strengthened,and a perfect family status construction context is clearly manifested in this process.Similarly,the formation course and revival of the Moon-worshipping Festival of Da Wulei village are also fully demonstrated.Chapter Two focuses on the ritual ceremony of the Moon-worshipping Custom ofDa Wulei village.Based on the notes of author's two years' fieldwork,this chapter describes the forms and rituals of the Moon Festival in a comprehensive and meticulous way and states the present rituals of the reviving Moon Ceremony in the Mid-Autumn Festival from the perspective of time and space in the form of folklore fieldwork.A complete sacrifice ceremony including visiting the temple,worshipping the ancestors,inviting the God,comforting the God,worshipping the God,entertaining the God,and escorting the God,has both the axis of change in space and the axis of the evolution in time.The two axes jointly promote the course of the whole ceremony,and there are many cultural connotations in each axis' development.They are the evidence of the cultural interaction between various cultures of Da Wulei village,as well as a clear proof of the revival of the family traditional folk culture by the elites of the Lei family.Chapter Three is the backbone of the thesis,mainly exploring the role of family elites in the revival of the Moon-worshipping Custom in the Da Wulei village.The characteristic study of the revival of the Moon-worshipping Festival in the village is actually the study on the revivalof the family elites.Through the description of the Moon-worshipping Custom and its hidden causes,the paper finds out the traditional reconstruction factors of local traditions in the general sense,namely,the main functions in three aspects:the local government,the cultural elite and the village people.Different groups have significant differences in the attitudes,demands and goals of the same custom,and condense their own forces to combat with each other,yet at the same time,there is a profound internal relationship between them in the commonness of the era.In addition,the paper argues that family elite is a key factor in the revival of this custom.The family elite is also a local cultural elite.As a folk group,they are a local authority in historical significance,although they do not have the qualifications of government administration and academic research.They often have a skill to coordinate the disputes of people's affairs and help solve some difficult problems in the daily life of the people.They have high prestige and status among the local people;they do not have official qualifications;however,they can represent the official voice to some extent.As an authoritative representative of the people,when the official administrative acts infringe on the interests of the people,they can represent the public and play the game with the official.Therefore,the family elite is the key strength of the folk revival of the Moon-worshipping Custom.The traditional activity of moon worshipping has evolved into a sacred and solemn ceremony of the Mid-Autumn Festival,which is the embodiment of its rich and sacred connotation,and the development and upgrading of the significance of folklore.The Moon-worshipping Festival,solely inherited by one family,has a complete sacrificial ceremony and rich cultural connotation,which also demonstrates unique cultural meaning and important cultural value in the popular Mid-Autumn Festival in our country.After the integration with local and family culture,a universal festival folklore has realized the reverse development from secularization to the sanctity,which in itself has a special cultural symbolic meaning.This chapter focuses on the role of family elite in the process of folk custom construction.The elite of Lei family of Da Wulei village,takes advantage of their accumulated social prestige and social status among the people during the revival of the Moon Festival,actively participates in and eventually realizes the current rejuvenation of unique Moon-worshipping Festival.This particular case study not only has a positive value in the specific cases of local folk custom construction,but also renders a reflection on the evolution and development of the contemporary study of folk custom.