Sacrificing mountain gods and water gods has a long history. "Book of Rites" records that as early as the Zhou Dynasty, there were sacrifices of the five sacred mountains and four blasphemies, which were called "the son of heaven offered sacrifices to the world's famous mountains and rivers, and the five sacred mountains and four blasphemies regarded the princes". Water is closely related to people's production and life. Generally speaking, there are four gods of water, four blasphemies and divas.
God of the four seas. The ancients thought that the earth was surrounded by oceans, and there were gods everywhere, so-called gods of the four seas. In The Classic of Mountains and Seas, there are stories about the gods of the East China Sea, the South China Sea and the North China Sea. The God of the West Sea appeared a little later. The gods of the four seas correspond to the four directions. People gave them secular names and even arranged their marriages. "Rebuilding the Integrated Weft Book" Volume 6 "Dragon Fish River Map" says: "Donghai Jun, surnamed Feng Mingxiuqing, and his wife's surname is Zhu Mo; South Navy, surnamed Shi, and his wife surnamed Ming Liao; Xihaijun, surnamed Gou Daming Qiubai, and his wife surnamed Ling Jian; Beihai Jun, surnamed Yu, and his wife surnamed forsythia. " According to Records of the Historian, before the Qin Dynasty, people began to set up temples to worship the gods of the four seas. After the Han Dynasty, the imperial court began to pay homage to Poseidon. In the Tang Dynasty, the court appointed the East China Sea God as Guangde Gong, the South China Sea God as Guangli Gong, the West Sea God as Guangrun Gong and the North Sea God as Guangze Gong. In the Song Dynasty, a sea altar was set up in Beijing, and the sea god made it king. For example, Donghai was the king of Sheng Yuan Guangde, Nanhai was the king of Hongsheng Guangli, Xihai was the king of Tongsheng Guangrun, and Beihai was the king of Chongsheng Guangrun. Later, there was a unified time and place for sacrifice: beginning of spring Day began, and the East China Sea was sacrificed in Laizhou; Establish a summer day and sacrifice the South China Sea to Guangzhou; Beginning of autumn Day, offering sacrifices to the West Sea in the river house; In winter, Beihai sacrifices to Mengzhou. Among the gods of the four seas, the God of the South China Sea is the most revered. This may be because natural disasters such as storms and tides often occur in the South China Sea, and the local fishery is relatively developed. In order to survive, people offered sacrifices to Poseidon and asked him to bless the sea. In coastal areas, there are often many shrines of Poseidon, such as one in the east of Yan Guan Town, Haining County, Zhejiang Province, which was built during the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty. Nanhai Temple, located in Miaotou Village, Guangzhou, was built during the reign of Emperor Kai of Sui Dynasty. It is also very famous, and people's sacrifices are very grand. In Song Dynasty, Fang Xinzhi recorded the relevant sacrificial scenes in Hundred Poems of the South China Sea. Emperors of past dynasties often sent messengers here to worship the South China Sea God.
God of the four gods. They are river gods, river gods, Huai gods and economic gods. In addition to the regular sacrifices in the four seasons, whenever there is a drought or flood disaster, the emperor will send a letter asking the four blasphemers to bless the country and the people. Residents, fishermen, boatmen and business travelers along the coast worship the water god for peace.
After the unified culture of river gods appeared in the Yellow River basin, the same Yellow River gods began to be established everywhere. Hebo is the most famous river god. According to historical records, Hebo was a big fish, or an elf who was half man and half fish. Feng Yi is the God of the Yellow River whose popularity is second only to that of Hebo. He has many aliases, such as Bing Yi, Wuyi, Feng Xun, Feng Xiu and so on. Hebo Belief Area and Fengyi Belief Area are the two most important tribal groups in the Yellow River Basin. With the prosperity of politics, economy, military and culture in Hebo, its influence is gradually in a dominant position. As a result, Hebo was regarded as the God of the Yellow River, and Mazu Tempel in Macau eventually covered the whole Yellow River basin. Hebo has become the recognized God of the Yellow River in the Yellow River Basin.
Jiang Shen. China's ancient political and cultural center was in the Yellow River valley, far from the Yangtze River valley, so the God of the Yangtze River was not as respected as the God of the Yellow River. On the whole, the worship of the Yangtze River gods mainly appeared after the emergence of a unified country, and was sacrificed by the state. In order to facilitate the sacrifice, the titles given to him by the imperial courts in past dynasties include Guangyuan Gong, Guangyuan Shunzhi Wang and so on. Some people regard Qu Yuan, Wu Zixu, Cao E and others as the gods of the Yangtze River, but they did not have a wide influence.
Be pregnant with god. The mythical god of Huai water is Wu. Huaishen is grotesque in appearance, similar to a macaque. It is said that he is amazing. According to legend, when Dayu was controlling water, he locked his neck with a big rope, locked his nose with a golden bell, and locked it at the foot of Guishan Mountain in Huaiyin, so that Huaishui could be safe. In the Qin Dynasty, Huai Shen was included in the sacrificial ceremony of the imperial court. The emperor of the Han dynasty sent messengers to sacrifice. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, Huai Shui Shen was famous as a public figure, and in the Yuan Dynasty, he was named "King of Changyuan Guangji".
Help the gods. Sacrificial ceremonies in the Qin Dynasty included water-saving gods. The emperor of the Han dynasty sent messengers to sacrifice. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, the water-saving god was named Gong. In the Yuan Dynasty, it was named "Qingyuan and King Han Ji". The temple dedicated to the gods is located in the birthplace of Jishui, about two kilometers northwest of Jiyuan County, Henan Province.
Tianhou. Tianhou also belongs to Poseidon, but her influence is far above the gods of the four seas. In China, almost all the coastal areas, even many areas not close to the sea, have the custom of offering sacrifices to the queen of heaven. Tianhou has many names, such as Mazu, Tian Fei and Poseidon. The custom of offering sacrifices to the queen of heaven probably began in the Song Dynasty. Hong Mai's "Jane Yizhi" records: "In the territory of Xinghua Army, the place name is Haikou, and Mrs. Lao Lin Temple. I don't know when it was established. The room is not very spacious, but it is full of supernatural elements. When Jia Ke enters the sea, he always prays for the shrine and seeks the shade, but he dares to do it. Gai Taste said, "When the ocean meets a bad wind, I hope for mercy, and I see God appearing on the pole." This shows that there was already a pious sacrifice to Tianhou at that time. About the origin of diva. Opinions vary. Generally speaking, she was originally from Meizhou Island in Putian, Fujian in the Five Dynasties (early Song Dynasty). Surname Lin, first name, father Lin, willing to vote for the capital. Lin Mosheng is extraordinary. When he grows up, he knows how to use magic. He can predict good or bad things. He can also "sit across the sea and travel between islands by cloud". She often treated local people before her death and often appeared at sea to save people after her death. These records have a certain historical background. Tianhou may indeed have a prototype. She probably has superb rowing skills and water skills, but people have exaggerated and deified her abilities, such as "crossing the sea by seat and traveling between islands by cloud". As a sea god, the divine power of Tianhou is mainly to protect the safety of people who are active at sea. For example, helping to wipe out pirates, saving people from pirates and saving boatmen from storms are all things within the scope of Tianhou's duties. Sacrificing the Queen of Heaven is very popular in Fujian, Guangdong, Taiwan Province and other coastal areas. There are many stories in local folklore about the appearance of Tianhou to protect the safety of boating at sea. Tianhou can save people from the sea and rivers. In addition to the coastal areas, there are also many people along the Yangtze River who believe in Tianhou. In addition to saving lives in rivers and seas, Tianhou also has important functions such as defending the country and taking care of rain and shine. March 23rd is Tianhou's birthday, and places that believe in Tianhou will hold sacrificial activities on this day. There are nine lines in Qu Dajun's Yue Xin Yu in Qing Dynasty: "On March 23rd, customs spread to Tian Fei. There are men's teams and women's teams 100 people, dressed as pretty children, such as Yuanxi and BMW color shed. " On this day, there was an endless stream of good men and women, and some even traveled thousands of miles to worship at the magnificent Niangniang Palace. There are almost no gaps in all berths. "Beauty is white and pervades the road." For example, Mazu Tempel in Meizhou, Fujian, built in the Northern Song Dynasty, is an ancestral temple dedicated to the queen of heaven. Incense is very popular every year, and many people offer sacrifices.
In addition to offering sacrifices to water gods, ancient emperors also offered sacrifices to mountain gods.
There is also a very old tradition of offering sacrifices to mountain gods. The ancients believed that everything was animistic, and so were mountains. The majestic mountains are shrouded in clouds, and the scenery is unpredictable, which really gives people a feeling of living in Xianju. The most famous mountain gods are the gods of the five mountains, namely Mount Tai in Dongyue, Huashan in Xiyue, Hengshan in Nanyue, Hengshan in Beiyue and Songshan in Zhongyue. There are temples dedicated to mountain gods on these five mountains. Emperors of past dynasties conferred the title of God of Five Mountains and added it to the level of "emperor". Tracing back to the source, the belief in the Five Mountains stems from people's awe, admiration and worship of nature. Sacrificing the gods of the five mountains was included in the national sacrifice code and was sacrificed by the court in the Spring and Autumn Period. The Five-Mountain God is the representative of the Mountain God, with the Temple of Yue, which is divided into five parties and governs the whole country. In addition to official sacrifices, folk beliefs in mountain gods are also very devout.
Mount Tai in Dongyue is the most religious mountain among the five mountains. In order to prove that the emperor was the son of heaven and consolidate his position, ancient emperors often held ceremonies to worship heaven and earth. In folk beliefs, Mount Tai is regarded as the god of life, which has the function of leading life and death and gathering people's souls. March 28th is the birthday of Dongyue God. The other four temples only set up temples to worship in their own territory, while Dongyue Temple is spread all over the country, called "Walking Temple", and Dongyue Temple will become a national festival to worship gods. The God of Huashan Mountain in Xiyue, whose dresses and dragons are all white. His function is to dominate the world's gold, silver, copper, iron and other metals, in charge of winged birds. The costumes and mounts of the God of Mount Hengshan in Beiyue are all black, which is used to manage rivers, Huaiji, tigers, leopards, beasts, insects and snakes. Hengshan Mountain in Nanyue and the dragon it rides are all dressed in red. He is the owner of dividing the boundary and supervising the scales. The costumes and mounts of Songshan God in Zhongyue are all yellow. He is the master of the world's land and mountains, and also feeds cattle and sheep. In addition to the gods of the five mountains, many other mountains are gods. These mountain gods are gradually being secularized.
The ancients thought that mountain gods and water gods were gods who protected people, but if people really believed in him and offered him a grand sacrifice, the gods would take various measures to retaliate or remind people to pay attention and ask people to worship them more. Natural phenomena are not transferred by human will, and sacrifices to mountain gods and water gods never stop. Today, we understand some mysteries of nature and know that sacrifice cannot avoid natural disasters. Sacrificing mountain gods and water gods no longer has the past significance, but exists as an ornamental folk activity.