History of Donghai Temple
Laizhou has a long history. In Xia Dynasty, Han Zhuofeng irrigation established a country, with business as the country and Zhou Chunqiu as the country of Laizi. During the Warring States period, the city site was near this city, and it was said that it was named after "coming from the east and going out at night". In ancient times, "night" and "Yi" were universal, which was the basis for the local name "Yi". In the fourth year of Emperor Gaozu of the Western Han Dynasty (203 BC), Yexian County was located in Donglai County, Qingzhou. Metal Donglai country is located in Yexian County. Gwangju was established in the Northern Wei Dynasty, which governed Donglai, Changguang and Dongmou counties. Gwangju and Donglai were both in Yecheng. Guangzhou in the Sui Dynasty was Laizhou, which was soon changed to Donglai County. Laizhou was in the Tang Dynasty and ruled in Yecheng. Since then, the Song, Jin and Yuan dynasties followed the Tang system and called Laizhou. In the first year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1368), Laizhou was promoted to a prefecture, and both prefectures and counties were in Yecheng. Laizhou in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, bordering Qingzhou in the west and Dengzhou in the east, has always been called "Deng Laiqing". There was also a "Denglaiqing Daotai" in the Qing Dynasty, and the Daotai Department was also stationed in Yecheng for a long time. In the early years of the Republic of China, the old name of Laizhou was temporarily put on hold. At that time, everyone knew there was Yexian county, but they didn't know there was Laizhou. At that time, "Peng (Lai) Huang (County) Ye (County)" in Jiaodong was once considered as a place where people could do business and live a rich life.
Astronomers are eight star gods (God, landlord, soldier, Yin, Yang, moon, sun and four seasons) which are very important to life. They choose the right place to worship according to the position of the stars. According to the location of Yin Lord (now Sanshan Island in Laizhou City) and Yue Lord (now north of Beisui Village in Dazeshan Town, pingdu city), the seaside in the northwest of Laizhou City 18 km is the best place to worship the sea.
The distance between the Moon Master and the Yin Master is 108 Li, forming an array of eight masters and two immortals (Zhuohe Jiaolai River) to jointly protect the mirage in the East China Sea. Two sacrificial sites of the Eight Immortals were chosen in Laizhou. "Shanzuo County Records" contains: "There are three people who are the best in the world, Yan Yue Queli, Yue Ji Tai Shan, Lai Yue Dong Hai, Queli is a sacred place for people's livelihood, Taishan is the first place visited by emperors, and the East China Sea is a city of thousands of households, all of which are the best in the world." As a place of royal sacrifice, we offer sacrifices to heaven, to the Temple of Heaven, to the altar of earth, to Mount Tai, to the sea and to the East China Sea Hall. Donghai Temple in Laizhou is as famous as Tiantan and Ditan in Taishan and Beijing. In the Song Dynasty, the imperial court had the custom of offering sacrifices to the sea, which was recorded and followed by emperors of all dynasties. In the early spring of each year, Donghai Temple in Laizhou worships the sea. Before the emperor sent his troops on patrol, in case of national disaster and when the monarch was ill, he held a grand memorial ceremony, wishing the mountains and rivers to eliminate disasters, so as to bless Poseidon, have good weather and abundant crops. Sacrificing in Donghai Temple, enriching the land of China and the people of Kyushu, has always been regarded as a fairyland on earth and known as the "fairy house in the grottoes". Especially, the two successful emperors in history, Qin Shihuang and Han Wudi, regarded this place as a fairy town in the realm of gods, and visited it many times to pray for the immortals, leaving behind the eternal story that "the first emperor swam without returning, and the Emperor Wudi was so happy", which made Donghai Temple famous.
China's sacrificial activities originated from the patriarchal society in the late primitive society. There are several kinds of sacrifices to heaven, land, society, ancestors and stoves. Before the appearance of wine, the main sacrificial water was called xuan wine. Among the cultural relics unearthed from pottery and bronze wares in Shang Dynasty, wine vessels are the most. In the Book of Rites, the sacrificial ceremony of the ancestral temple was held by the honorable and the humble, which shows that there was a hierarchical etiquette for holding the sacrificial ceremony of the ancestral temple in the Shang Dynasty.
The God of the East China Sea has become the supreme god in the four seas, and the Temple of the East China Sea has also become the supreme "Poseidon Palace" in the country. With the promotion of Poseidon's status, the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the sea in the imperial court was more grand every time. In the 22nd year of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty (1486), after the reconstruction of Donghai Temple, the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the sea was customized. The tables, chairs and utensils in front of God must be arranged according to the rules, and the music played by Lian Le people is also provided by court musicians. When offering sacrifices to the sea on behalf of heaven, the sea worshippers must be accompanied by civil servants and military commanders to show their respect for the sea god. From the late Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, the ritual specifications of offering sacrifices to Poseidon were higher every time, and worshippers had to "worship Poseidon three times and knock on Poseidon nine times". From the time when Qin Huang and Hanwu offered sacrifices to the sea to the last time when the imperial court offered sacrifices to the sea in the 16th year of Guangxu in Qing Dynasty, there were 8 1 recorded emperors offering sacrifices to the sea. Sometimes, the emperor can't come in person, and he has to send officials with imperial books to accompany him to sacrifice for the day, which is considered as the emperor's visit.
There is a record of offering sacrifices to Donghai Temple in Laizhou County Records. Listening to the memories of Liu Shanji and other old people in Jiangjiacun, the temple of the sea, coastal residents worship the sea dragon king very much and regard it as the sea god. Every year, there are sacrifices on the 18th of the first month, 3rd of April, 13th of June and 3rd of October.
When people offer sacrifices to Poseidon, they should first choose a highly respected "sacrificial officer", and the priests should dress up and wash their hands before they can bow to Poseidon's incense table, with the elderly in the middle. Men want their left hand in front and their right hand behind, and women want their right hand in front and their left hand behind. The priest read the eulogy, claiming that Poseidon brought benefits to the people, and the people felt it, asking Poseidon to continue to bless, and then offering sacrifices and making sacrifices according to the ceremony. Sacrifices are generally local specialties, peaches and pomegranates, various pasta snacks and ready-to-eat fruits. In front of the sacrifice, there is a case-solving, which contains Chen Hai's memorial, seal, Four Treasures of the Study, autograph book and other things. There are incense burners, candlesticks, and merit boxes in front of them for good men and women to worship and pay tribute to. In the sacrificial activities, we should pour wine for Poseidon first, and also pay attention to "the black pig arches the ground and the sheep trembles". Two black pigs were selected, and a bag of loess was placed in the main hall, which is now placed on the altar. According to legend, if Poseidon is happy at this moment, the black pig will go straight to the loess as soon as he goes to the altar and arch it with his mouth, which is called "black pig arching the ground". If Poseidon is unhappy at the moment, the black pig will pee while pulling. At this time, people will wait for the auspicious moment. "Sheep tremble" means that when the priest kneels down and tells that the sacrifice is over, the sheep will tremble all over, indicating that Poseidon leads the sacrifice. "Sacrifice" has also become the focus of people's attention in the ceremony of offering sacrifices to Poseidon, and it is also a concentrated expression of the cultural quality of fishermen and villagers and the comprehensive strength of villages.
In the past, fishermen, rich or poor, worshipped Poseidon in every household. On the twelfth day of the first month, "the tree is high (also known as the pole moves), and the flag of God is hung (indicating that the gods are here, and there is also the meaning of navigation mark)". On the thirteenth day of the first month, Poseidon is invited to the Temple of Sea, and on the fourteenth day of the first month, Poseidon is worshipped. Large families with well-to-do families should also arrange "Taiwan sacrifices" at home and put on various offerings, first offering sacrifices to the sky, then to the sea god, and then to the ancestors, thanking the gods and ancestors for their blessing. There will also be "God Rice" on the God table, burning wax and incense, burning gold paper and setting off firecrackers, and hanging red lanterns at the street corner. Fishermen at sea should carry colorful flags and sacrificial supplies to whole pigs, beat gongs and drums all the way, and set off firecrackers to worship at the Temple of the Sea.
After 1937, the Japanese war of aggression against China broke out and the sacrificial activities declined. 1946 at the beginning of the autumn liberation war, temples were demolished and temple worship ended. The sacrifice of Poseidon has become a ritual activity for coastal people to rush to the temple fair four times a year, and the masses offer sacrifices spontaneously. It was on the verge of extinction in the late 1950s, and 1966 basically disappeared after the Cultural Revolution. Since the reform and opening up, the state has attached importance to cultural construction and protection of traditional culture. In recent years, large-scale sacrificial activities have been organized spontaneously, which is getting better every year. The folk sacrificial activities of Donghai Temple were sponsored by the new Party branch and village committee of Jiangjia Village, Haimiao, Yongan Road Street, and tens of thousands of coastal farmers, representatives from all walks of life and the masses participated. Relying on the long history and cultural resources, with Donghai Temple as the core, the rich mass cultural elements and folk cultural resources in Jiaodong are integrated and utilized, and the folk culture, art and folk culture of Haimiao are fully displayed in combination with activities such as amusement, folk crafts, food and folk sacrifice. Temple fair originated from the ancient ancestral temple system-sacrifice.
For thousands of years, temple fairs have been an important day of the year for ordinary people. The assembly produced by offering sacrifices to gods can be regarded as the embryonic form of later folk temple fairs. Build a temple first and then a temple, and there will be a temple fair; With the East China Sea Temple, there will be the East China Sea Temple Fair (also known as the "Catch the Sea Temple").
It is the custom of fishermen in the coastal villages of Haimiao to pass the temple fair on the 18th day of the first lunar month, which is also called "going out of Yu Ri" by the people, and it is the day when fishermen start fishing in the sea. We should choose this day to hold sacrificial activities and prepare to "move cranes" and "pull boats". After February 2, the dragon looked up, and the fishermen prayed "smooth sailing and returning home with full load;" Send with the wind, after the wind gives birth to the rudder, go out to sea to catch "spring" In the early morning of this day, local fishermen will come to Donghai Temple site to place offerings, burn incense and paper, set off firecrackers, bow and pray for the fishermen, and hold a unique worship activity for fishermen. The third day of April is March 6, the sixth year of Kaibao (973). Zheng Ziming ordered Laizhou to lay the foundation stone for Daxiong Hall of Donghai Temple, and the Laizhou government and Yexian yamen organized officials and people to celebrate and offer sacrifices to the gods. Then June 13 was designated as the rain festival. As the saying goes, "Three years earlier, don't forget the 13th of June". It is said that there are always some rain stars on this day, which is also the result of Master Guan's sharpening. So every day, family members go to Donghai Temple to burn incense and paper for sacrifice. There is also the third day of October, which is a temple fair that began when the imperial court offered sacrifices to the sea in the fifteenth year of Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1750). Sidahai Temple is a large temple on the 18th day of the first month. The folks also have a new explanation for the Temple of the Sea four times a year: "On the eighteenth day of the first month, thousands of trees sprouted in the Temple of the Sea, and the spring breeze spread all over the world; On the third day of April, the spring tide was like smoke, and a hundred fish went to the beach; June 13, praying for rain and offering sacrifices to heaven, lightning and thunder; On the third day of October, the autumn wind fat crab went to the seaside, and the fish and shrimp were full in the sunset. " In the folk, every temple fair lasts for more than a month from the beginning to the end. Nearby villagers and families treat guests, entertain relatives and friends, worship the sea god, worship the East China Sea Temple, and pray for peace after exhausting the sea god.
The Temple of the Sea is surrounded by cities, boats and ships, and boats and big Ge berthed for more than ten miles. For those who can't reach the shore, wooden boards are connected with long poles as a bridge, dozens of heavy ships cross the river, incense lamps are erected at the stern, and at night, thousands of ships glow with the waves, and the orchestras are silent for more than ten nights. Even firecrackers, burning all night, climbing high and looking far are really endless. 18, on Poseidon's birthday, admirers ... crowded with people who couldn't enter the temple ... dignitaries burned incense and worshipped Buddha, actors and artists performed at the top of their lungs, and Jing Zhi's troupe sang "Play against Taiwan" in chorus, and "Western Film (Mirror)" was better than "Tianjin Bookstore". Suzhou and Hangzhou silks and satins and leather goods from the northeast flocked to the temple fair. During the day, the people in the four townships worship God to do business, entertain friends and relatives with poems, entertain at the theatre at night, and fish and sing at night.
At the temple fair, many western films (mirrors) are better than Tianjin Bookstore. The slide screen in the west mirror switches from time to time. People hold western lenses, experience western advanced culture together, and find the life course of great-grandparents has become a highlight of the temple fair.
Traditional folk arts such as walking on stilts, temple drums, sea temple yangko, shadow play and paper-cutting were staged at the same time, showing the infinite charm of traditional folk culture.
Temple fair has a long history, which can show a variety of folk culture. It is a folk cultural form of folk religious sacrificial activities, commodity exchange and literary and artistic activities, and the three elements are indispensable. As a wide form of commodity exchange, temple fairs are closely related to farmers' purchasing methods. A temple fair can see all kinds of things in the world. But today's "Ganhai Temple" has already become an important place for the rich and long-standing folk culture display and exchange in Laizhou coastal villages. Year after year, the temple fair is like a huge "folk stage", which can arouse the memories of the old and the novel experiences of the young. This not only greatly increases the attraction and excitement of these activities, but also increases the business atmosphere in these activities with the strengthening of mass and entertainment.
It is true that some people call "Ganhai Temple" "Folk Culture Festival" and others call it "China Carnival".