Research On Shangqiu Fire God Belief

Fire God belief is the main belief of Shangqiu people,the God of fire is Yong Bo,the son of Emperor Gaoxin,there are two reasons why Yan Bo was regarded as the God of fire,one is that he stole fire from the sky for the local people,and the other is that he guided farming time by observing Mars.The folklore of "Shang Bo stealing fire" is widely spread among the people,yan Bo was originally the God of fire,he managed the use of fire in the sky,when he saw the lack of fire in the world,he smuggled the kind of fire into the folklore to teach people to use fire for heating,lighting and cooking.Shangqiu Fire God belief has a long history,formed in the ancient mythology period,was included in the national sacrifice in the Song Dynasty,after the Yuan Dynasty,Fire God belief gradually degenerated into local folk belief,Ming Dynasty fire god still belongs to the sacrifice,but the impact is still regional,the main body of sacrifice is the people.In the 1950 s,the belief in the God of fire was interrupted by the influence of the time factors.In the 1980 s,Shangqiu's belief in Fire God was restored.Fire God belief is the embodiment of local knowledge and culture in Shangqiu area.The sacrificial activities are the pilgrims' pious expression of the belief in the God of fire,they mainly include individual sacrificial activities and collective "Chao Tai" activities,the place of sacrifice is the God of fire platform,where the God of fire is worshipped.The way of offering sacrifices is to burn incense,kowtow,pray,make a wish to the God of fire,or go directly to the temple of fire to kowtow and pray,once the request is "fulfilled",the prayer must be returned.The sacrifice of Fire God meets various needs of the local people,including the utilitarian needs of seeking wealth,son,marriage,disease and disaster relief.The sacrificial activities of the God of fire are time-sequential,mostly in the leisure season or during traditional festivals.During the period of Chao Tai,a large temple fair was formed.During the temple fair,businessmen and businessmen gathered and crowds surged.The activities of the temple fair are rich and varied,including commercial activities,folk entertainment activities,social activities and "witchcraft" activities.Folk activities in temple fairs are not only a manifestation of the belief in the God of fire,but also an important factor for the sustainable development of the temple fairs and the belief in the God of fire.The social and cultural functions of the belief in Fire God,such as educating people,comforting people,integrating society and promoting economic development,have exerted a certain influence on the local people's production,life and values.