What is the cultural function of folk customs?

The cultural function of folk customs;

First of all, what are the functions and characteristics of folk customs? Folklore is a social science that studies folk customs and other cultural heritages of life.

1846, the British scholar W.J.Thoms first adopted the word folklore, and defined folklore as knowledge about human knowledge. Because of the widespread existence of folklore, folklore has been generally recognized and developed in all countries of the world.

China's historical records and rational understanding of various customs have a long history and are profound, but China folklore with modern scientific significance was influenced by western academic thoughts at the beginning of this century and was also an integral part of the May 4th New Culture Movement.

Now, with the development of the times, the research scope of folklore has become more and more extensive. In some countries, it has extended to all fields of civil society and cultural life, including various folk production habits, social organizations and systems, behavioral norms, spiritual phenomena (including beliefs, ethical concepts, knowledge, folk literary and artistic creation) and so on. In the modern social science system, folklore plays an irreplaceable role. The research object of folklore and various folk cultural phenomena in social life generally have the following characteristics: they are social and collective, and can only become customs after public recognition and long-term practice; Most of them exist in the form of types or patterns; They are inherited in time and expanded in space. The above characteristics make the folk custom phenomenon obviously different from those personal and temporary phenomena in social life.

The phenomenon of folk culture adapts to a certain social life. Firstly, it is produced, spread and passed down by material life and corresponding social psychological needs. At the same time, it also plays a corresponding role in social life, that is, it mainly regulates, facilitates and regulates people's social life, so as to consolidate and develop it. Even if some customs lose their original meaning in the future, they can often be preserved in some flexible ways and play a certain role in life to meet people's social and cultural needs.

Studying various folk cultural phenomena is helpful to sort out and display social and historical traditions, and to investigate and understand people's real life, concepts and psychology, thus promoting social progress and cultural prosperity and development. The research of modern folklore pays attention to demonstration, and requires on-the-spot investigation to obtain the basic basis of research, including collecting all kinds of folk information preserved, remembered and flexibly used by the people, and observing and experiencing people's real life.

At the same time, at least in China, it should be analyzed in combination with existing literature. Folklore research emphasizes the objective description of the life culture of a nation or a place, and also explains its formation and evolution, internal and external relations and natural characteristics. Because the content of the research is extensive and needs a variety of observation angles, the materials, theories and methods of related disciplines are often used for reference. Folklore is closely related to sociology, cultural anthropology, history, linguistics, literature and art.

Folklore is the sum total of fashions, customs and habits gradually formed by people of different nationalities and regions in their long-term lives. China is an ancient civilization with a long history, with a long history of 5,000 years, which has given birth to extremely rich and colorful folk culture. However, the educational function of folk customs has been neglected for a long time, especially today's teenagers have a poor understanding of China's traditional folk culture.

The main reasons for the lack of folk culture are: first, the influence of social and economic transformation on folk culture; Second, the infiltration of foreign cultural input into folk culture; Third, the rise of mass media has squeezed folk culture. In addition, there is another important reason: the neglect of folk culture in school teaching.

After decades of exam-oriented education, school education, especially the teaching of literature and history, has long been memorizing the knowledge points of textbooks, ignoring the cultivation of students' humanistic quality. Lack of edification of traditional culture and art in China and correct understanding of folk culture in China has led to the indifference of contemporary teenagers' folk concept, lack of folk knowledge, lack of folk culture and low overall humanistic quality.

Adolescence is an important stage in the formation of outlook on life and values. China has paid special attention to the educational function of folk culture since ancient times. This kind of education is to use the binding force of folk culture to educate and standardize individuals in order to get rid of bad habits and carry forward good atmosphere.

Confucius said, "I am not good at music." : Not good at treating people with courtesy. "Infiltrating it is the role of folk culture in social stability and control. Xunzi said: "On rites and music, be upright; Extensive education and beautiful customs. "This is to emphasize the use of folk culture to shape the noble personal qualities and behaviors recognized by a public group. Therefore, for young students, folk culture education plays an irreplaceable role in education of other disciplines. It is very important to transform the essence of folk culture into students' understanding and guide their behavior to cultivate their good moral quality.

Integrating folk culture into school education can help students understand the fashion, etiquette and habits of the Chinese nation, and on this basis, make them correctly understand the traditional culture of the Chinese nation, especially its essence-traditional virtues. We should use the traditional Chinese culture and traditional virtues such as "self-discipline and self-cultivation", "benevolence and filial piety", "honesty and courtesy", "loyalty to the country", "the world is public" and "self-improvement" to help students learn to be human, cultivate national spirit and improve their quality.

Strengthening folk education is helpful to cultivate teenagers' aesthetic consciousness. Folk custom is a social collective creation, rooted in the soil of people's lives and has a deep mass foundation. In the folklore of a certain folk custom or region, the likes and dislikes and aesthetic tastes of the people of that ethnic group or region are generally retained. Folklores that have survived to this day have stood the test of time and have many beautiful things. Strengthening this aspect of education in folk education will help students to understand the aesthetics of ancestors, and then enhance their aesthetic consciousness. For example, the introduction of dragon boat racing, Mongolian horse racing, Miao bullfighting, Lusheng dance and other competitive folk customs can enable students to see the pursuit of active and healthy life by people of all ethnic groups through lively folk activities.

China folk culture is rich and colorful, extensive and profound, which is the most vital branch of China traditional culture and the driving force of national cohesion and spiritual civilization. Educating teenagers with folk culture to re-establish the banner of national culture can cultivate and stimulate their national pride, self-confidence and national pride, and shoulder the historical mission of inheriting and carrying forward the splendid culture of the Chinese nation for 5 thousand years.

Folklore is a culture that depends on people's life, habits, feelings and beliefs.

Due to the collectivity of folk culture, in the final analysis, folk culture promotes social consistency. Folk culture strengthens national identity, strengthens national spirit and shapes national character, which is the core element of folk custom formation.

On the definition of intangible cultural heritage;

The definition of intangible cultural heritage is a controversial issue in academic circles in recent years. In the past, there didn't seem to be much doubt about this question. Because before this, China folklore scholars or folk culture circles have been using the concepts of folklore, folk culture, folk culture and national folk culture. Now an academic name of "intangible cultural heritage" has suddenly appeared, and this term has become very fashionable. Many universities and research institutions have changed their names, established intangible cultural heritage research institutes and intangible cultural heritage research centers, and some have proposed to establish intangible cultural heritage disciplines. In fact, in my opinion, this is a new style, a fashion label.

As in previous years, anthropology has become hot, and many disciplines keep up with the situation, such as anthropology sociology, anthropology ethnology, anthropology folklore and so on. People cannot help asking, what are these subjects? Whether it is sociology, ethnology or folklore, is it necessary to join anthropology to strengthen its facade? After all, we are all a little guilty and lack confidence in these subjects.

I dare not admit that folklore or folk culture is an independent subject. Intangible cultural heritage actually refers to folk culture and folk culture that we used to be familiar with and study. The concepts of "intangible cultural heritage" and "folk custom" and "folk culture" can be replaced with each other.

Some people think that the concept of intangible cultural heritage is richer and broader than the concepts of folklore and folk culture. I don't think so. On the contrary, "folklore" and "folk culture" are more widely studied than intangible cultural heritage. A simple truth is that folklore studies not only intangible cultural heritage, but also material cultural heritage. Material folklore, social folklore and spiritual folklore are all the objects of folklore research. This view does not contradict the spirit of UNESCO's Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage and Declaration on Cultural Diversity.

From 65438 to 0989, the Proposal on Protecting Traditional Culture and Folk Creation adopted by the 25th General Conference of UNESCO in Paris mentioned "traditional culture and folk creation". The Declaration on the Representative Works of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Mankind adopted the expression "oral and intangible heritage". Is this expression different from "folk creation" and "traditional folk culture"? It can be said that the content is exactly the same.

It seems that "intangible cultural heritage" and the traditional concept of "folk custom" in China are completely interchangeable. If we look at the objects of oral and intangible cultural heritage again, we can better explain this problem. The Declaration of Representatives of Human Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage issued by UNESCO mentioned the definition of oral and intangible heritage: "Oral and intangible heritage refers to all creations that come from a cultural community, are based on tradition, are expressed by a group or some individuals, and are considered to meet the expectations of the community. As the expression of their cultural and social identity, their norms and values are passed down orally through imitation or other means.

Its forms include: language, literature, music, dance, games, myths, etiquette, habits, handicrafts, architectural arts and other arts. In addition, it also includes traditional forms of contact and information. "Obviously, this definition includes all material and intangible folk culture or folk culture handed down from people. The difference is that the creator of this culture, that is, the creative subject of intangible cultural heritage, is much broader than what we used to call "people" (mainly farmers and citizens).

The definition of academic concepts has always been a complex issue. The development of folklore has a history of 100 years. There are dozens of definitions of "folk custom", which one do we insist on? It is necessary to define the concept, but the research should not only start from the concept, but also from the reality.