中國和台灣的祭祖文化,燒金紙是迷信還是傳統? The ancestral worship culture in China and Taiwan. Is burning Joss Paper superstition or tradition?
你好,我是Cindy,我是一名線上華語老師,每週我會跟你分享台灣重要的新聞或是有趣的文化,歡迎訂閱我的電子報! I'm Cindy. I am an online Mandarin teacher. Every week, I will share important news and interesting cultural insights from Taiwan with you.
本週關鍵字 (Keywords of the Week)
清明節 (Qīngmíng jié) - Qingming Festival
祭拜祖先 (Jìbài zǔxiān) - Ancestor worship
金紙 (Jīnzhǐ) - Joss Paper
環保 (Huánbǎo) - Environmental Protection
封建制度 (Fēngjiàn zhìdù) - Feudal System
大家好,上次跟大家分享在中國爆紅的台灣電影,《周處除三害》。這個禮拜四是台灣的清明節,清明節是中國和台灣的四大傳統節日之一,不過最近在中國的江蘇省有個城市禁止民眾製造和販賣祭拜祖先的金紙,今天想跟大家分享中國和台灣的祭祖文化,燒金紙是迷信還是傳統?
清明節是什麼節日?
在介紹金紙文化之前,我先簡單介紹一下清明節。清明節在每年的四月四號、五號或是六號,是傳統的二十四節氣之一。這個節日是祭拜祖先的日子,雖然台灣人平常也會祭拜祖先,但很少去墓園或是靈骨塔,通常會在家裡,但在清明節時,一定會去墓園或是靈骨塔祭拜祖先。
金紙是什麼?
金紙是一種用竹子做成的紙,現在也有一些廠商用回收紙做成。金紙是給神明、祖先,或是死去的人的錢,在重視「錢」的華人社會,大家普遍認為,死後幫親人準備多一點錢,也就是燒多一點金紙,可以讓這些死去的親人在另外一個世界過得更好。
燒金紙的文化
台灣在近十年來因為環保的關係,已經推行很久不燒金紙的文化,去廟裡拜神明的時候,很多人不會買金紙,或是很多人買了金紙,也不會自己燒,由政府統一拿到焚化爐燒,對許多台灣人來說,很願意接受這種不燒金紙的文化。但最近在中國江蘇省禁止民眾製造和販賣祭拜祖先的金紙政策,卻造成許多中國人的反彈,政府禁止的原因認為這是中國古代封建制度下的文化,已經不符合現代。
我個人的看法
我自己去廟裡拜拜,已經非常少買金紙,除了過年這種特別的節日,一般來說並不會買金紙。我的家庭在祭拜祖先時也不會買金紙,原因就是因為環保,我們認為比起燒金紙,祭拜時的誠意更重要。現在的中國政府並不喜歡宗教信仰,但我認為,流傳幾千年的傳統文化,實在很難說變就變,也因此可以看出來政府和人民的想法是非常不一樣的。
希望你喜歡今天的分享,下次到台灣旅遊時,想去廟裡拜拜,也不一定要買金紙喔。
最後附上一張我今年過年時在廟裡拍的金紙照片。
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本週關鍵字 (Keywords of the Week)
清明節 (Qīngmíng jié) - Qingming Festival
祭拜祖先 (Jìbài zǔxiān) - Ancestor worship
金紙 (Jīnzhǐ) - Joss Paper
環保 (Huánbǎo) - Environmental Protection
封建制度 (Fēngjiàn zhìdù) - Feudal System
Hello everyone,
Last time I shared with you about the Taiwanese movie that has become popular in China, "Zhou Chu Chu San Hai." This Thursday is Qingming Festival in Taiwan. Qingming Festival is one of the four traditional festivals in China and Taiwan. However, recently in Jiangsu Province, China, a city has banned the manufacture and sale of Joss Paper for ancestor worship. Today, I want to share with you the ancestral worship culture in China and Taiwan. Is burning Joss Paper superstition or tradition?
What is Qingming Festival?
Before introducing the culture of burning gold paper, let me briefly introduce Qingming Festival. Qingming Festival falls on April 4th, 5th, or 6th each year, one of the traditional twenty-four solar terms. This festival is a day to worship ancestors. Although Taiwanese people usually worship their ancestors, they rarely go to cemeteries or columbaria. Usually, they do it at home. However, on Qingming Festival, they will definitely go to cemeteries or columbaria to worship their ancestors.
What is Joss Paper?
Joss Paper is a type of paper made from bamboo, and nowadays some manufacturers use recycled paper. Joss Paper is money for gods, ancestors, or deceased individuals. In the money-oriented Chinese society, it is generally believed that providing more money for deceased relatives, that is, burning more Joss Paper, can help them live better in the afterlife.
The culture of burning Joss Paper
Due to environmental concerns, Taiwan has implemented a culture of not burning Joss Paper for nearly a decade. When going to temples to worship gods, many people do not buy Joss Paper, or even if they buy it, they do not burn it themselves. Instead, the government collects it and burns it in an incinerator. Many Taiwanese people are willing to accept this culture of not burning Joss Paper. However, the recent policy in Jiangsu Province, China, banning people from making and selling Joss Paper for ancestor worship, has caused backlash among many Chinese. The government's reason for the ban is that this is a cultural relic of ancient feudalism in China that no longer fits the modern era.
My personal opinion
I rarely buy Joss Paper when I go to temples. Apart from special occasions like New Year, I usually don't buy Joss Paper. My family also doesn't buy Joss Paper when worshiping ancestors because of environmental concerns. We believe sincerity during worship is more important than burning Joss Paper. The current Chinese government does not favor religious beliefs, but I believe that traditions that have been passed down for thousands of years are difficult to change overnight. Therefore, it can be seen that the government and the people have very different ideas.
I hope you enjoyed today's sharing. When you visit Taiwan next time and want to worship at a temple, remember that you don't necessarily have to buy Joss Paper.
Finally, I'll attach a photo of joss paper that I took in the temple during the Lunar New Year this year.
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