The process of noble sacrifice in Qing dynasty

Shaman sacrificial activities in Qing Dynasty are mysterious and solemn, and they are very particular about procedures and contents. The whole sacrificial process is divided into:

First, ancestor worship

Usually arranged during the day. The priest will first set up the altar and ancestors' shelves, then invite the ancestors out, and then bring a pure black pig to the south edge of the kang in the house for sacrifice. After all the preparations were completed, the priest read the eulogy. At this time, all the people attending the sacrifice should kneel down and listen in turn according to their seniority. After reading the eulogy, kowtow and get up, and then carry the pig to the altar to kill the sacrifice.

When slaughtering and sacrificing, the pig hair should be removed, the hoof horns and pig bile should be placed on the right side of the altar, and then the pig should be carried to the altar with its head facing outwards and feet facing right.

Second, sacrifice to God.

There are two kinds of sacrifices during the day and at night.

Japanese sacrifices are usually followed by ancestor worship. The procedure is: the pigs slaughtered during ancestor worship are broken down into 12 pieces and boiled in a pot with internal organs, without seasoning. Don't eat the meat cooked in the pot until it is served. After the offerings are arranged neatly, please ask the priest to kneel and read the eulogy first. The people attending the sacrifice should still kneel in turn according to their generations, and then the priest will lead the people to kowtow.

Sacrificing to God at night is generally divided into two steps. First, please invite seven ancestors from the ancestor box and put them on the ancestor rack, then ask two ancestors to put them on the ancestor box cover, each with a glass of water and a plate of yellow rice, put the incense bowl and altar on the table, and then light incense and ashes. After that, the priest tied his waist bell and skirt, and led the people to beat drums and pray.

Third, sacrifice to the tree of God.

At sunrise, please invite the wooden statue of your ancestors to the sacrificial tree, facing northeast. Hang a clean piece of paper on the tree, and then carry the sacrificial pig to the holy tree. The priest knelt on the left side of the sacrificial pig, and everyone knelt behind.

After the sacrifice, the pig was divided into seven parts and boiled in a pot. Pig bile, jawbone and water were hung on the tree. The priest offered the meat, and after kowtowing, everyone divided the meat, but the bones of all parts were sent to the tree of God.

Fourth, offering sacrifices to stars.

After the setting of the moon, the date of offering sacrifices to the stars, whether in a certain month, should be arranged on the third or fifth day. After sunset, put a square stool in the middle of Shangfang Beikang and light incense wax. Star worshippers dressed in yellow gauze robes, holding blood basins and sharp knives, slaughtered sacrificial pigs on the west side of the outdoor, not far from their ancestors. At this time, the lights in the room should go out.

After the sacrificial star killed the sacrificial pig, he coughed, lit the indoor door, and carried the pig into the house for unhairing and decomposition. Then the pig was carried to its original place to kowtow to the stars, and then the lights in the room went out again. After the sacrifice, I carried the pig back to the house, but I couldn't see the fire.

It is said that turning off the lights can shorten the distance between man and god, not only can "express one's chest directly", but also can let the god directly perceive the pious mood of sacrificing people.

Extended data

There are three places for shaman worship in Qing Palace, namely Kunning Palace, Tangzi and Horse Sacrifice Room.

The Palace of Kunning was originally the bedroom of the Empress of the Ming Dynasty. After the Qing dynasty entered the customs, Shunzhi was converted into a place for shamans to worship the gods in the thirteenth year. There are nine spacious rooms in the Kunning Palace, of which the three in the east are the wedding rooms of emperors in previous dynasties, and the West Warm Pavilion is the place where shamans worship. There are kangs on the south, west and north sides of the room, and wooden boards on the west wall. There is a rescue pig box and cook the meat cauldron in the room.

Tangzi was built in the first year of Shunzhi and moved to Beijing. When he was rich, he was ordered to build a memorial hall in the east of Yu He Bridge outside Chang 'an Zuomen, southeast of the Forbidden City. Tangzi is a rectangular courtyard with a dining hall in the north and a dining hall in the south. The aisle in front of the dining hall leads to an octagonal worship hall, also called pavilion hall.

The Horse Sacrifice Room is located in the Shenwu Gate of the Forbidden City, and it is also a place where shamans of the Qing Dynasty communicate with each other to sing and dance. Originally, there was no special place to worship the horse god, but it was held in the hall. Later, a place was chosen in Shenwumen of the Forbidden City as a place to worship the horse god.