Study On Contemporary Changes Of The Sacrifice During Winter Solstice In Yangjia Village

The winter ancestor worship in Yangjia village is a folk activity to worship ancestors,which is held in Yangjia village beside the pavilion on the Winter Solstice.Participants are mainly middle-aged and elderly people in Yangjia Village.It is composed of solemn and grand folk activities such as worship to heaven,ancestor worship,birthday celebration drama,elderly feast,etc.around the Yang Family Temple.In 2009,after “Yangjia Jidong” was included in the third batch of Zhejiang Intangible Cultural Heritage List,from a ceremony of ancestor worship organized by the Yangs themselves to a folk custom activity of ancestor worship led by the Yangjia Village Committee and widely participated by the villagers.Based on the research perspective of community participation,this study observes the ritual practice of Yang Family’s winter sacrifice under community participation,from the perspective of functionalism,this paper discusses the expansion of the social function of the Yang family’s sacrifice to winter.Focus on the ceremony participants to discuss the position of the Yang family and villagers in the process of sacrificing winter in the Yang family from the inside out,how their views on ancestor worship have changed,and what advantages and disadvantages community participation has brought to their development.In the specific field investigation process,the field investigation means of in-depth participation and interview to observe the practice process of the Yangjia winter sacrifice ceremony under the participation of the community,to deeply understand the background of the Yangjia winter sacrifice ceremony,and to provide a case for ancestor worship research.The full text is divided into five parts:The first part is an introduction and an overview of the field survey points,first explaining the origin of the topic and the significance of writing;Secondly,it sorts out the relevant academic history,clarifies the research methods of this article,and explains relevant important concepts;Finally,it introduces the exhibition space of Yangjia Jidong from two aspects: the human geographical environment and the belief environment.The second part takes the historical memory of the Yang family’s sacrifice to winter as a reference for contemporary changes,combing the historical origin of the Yang family’s sacrifice to winter.At the beginning,the sacrificial ceremony of the Yang family for the winter was held by the Yang people who migrated from outside to the pavilion on the winter solstice.Later,it was quiet under the influence of breaking the four old traditions.After the reform and opening up,it was restored in the context of building ancestral temples and repairing genealogies.Subsequently,the popularity of the intangible cultural heritage industry pushed the Yangjia Festival for the Winter Solstice into the public’s view.From decline to revival,to prosperity,the Yangjia Festival for the Winter Solstice became a nationally renowned folk activity of the three doors.The third part deeply describes the process of the Yangjia winter ritual in Sanmen.With the development of the times,the Yang family’s winter festival,with the participation of multiple actors,explores the winter solstice culture,connects the winter solstice solar term culture with the clan culture,and adds folk projects such as praying for the sky and setting up banquet for the elderly on the basis of the original long flowing water,ancestral temple worship,and performing birthday ceremonies.The Yang family’s sacrifice to the winter is a ritual practice of worshipping the ancestors and worshipping their ancestors;It is a cultural representative of the 24 solar terms and the winter solstice that respects the laws of nature and reveres nature;It is also a winter festival folk activity displayed by Yangjia Village community.The fourth part discusses the changes of the contemporary Yangjia winter ritual.Due to the changes in production and lifestyle,the Yangs and Yangjia Village villagers are not entirely passive in the process of transforming this clan’s sacrifice into Yangjia Village’s winter festival folk activities.After becoming an intangible cultural heritage,the Yang family’s sacrificial ceremony for the winter has transitioned from a blood based ancestral ritual to a geographical village folk custom activity,offering sacrifices to ancestors and gods,breaking the tradition of "gods do not belong to different classes,and people do not sacrifice to different ethnic groups," and completing the transformation of publicity.The author focuses on the ritual practice,participation groups,and inheritance methods of the Yangjia winter festival,discusses the contemporary changes of the Yangjia winter festival,and then explores the specific reasons for the changes.The fifth part discusses the contemporary significance of the Yang family’s sacrifice to the winter.Folk customs have been constantly changing,and many changes in the evolution of Yangjia Jidong,which has become an intangible cultural heritage project,from private to public,and community involvement in ritual practices,are actually part of the process of Yangjia Jidong’s evolution.The current Yangjia Winter Festival needs to gather many human and material resources from Yangjia Village.It is precisely the expansion of its scale.In the process of carrying out this folk activity,the blood,geographical,and interest ties that have gradually faded in rural areas have been strengthened,and the village’s human and social relationships have returned.Through this folk activity,people have become closely connected with each other.The conclusion part combs and summarizes the paper.This paper studies the contemporary changes of the Yangjia Winter Sacrifice Ceremony in Sanmen,Taizhou,Zhejiang Province,and proposes ideas for future research.