There is a passage in Zhoushan City Records to describe the sacrifice to the sea: "In the old days, before fishing boats went out to sea for production in flood season every year, they had to sacrifice to the gods on board, kneel down to the gods, and then burn them, which was called' walking documents'. The boss throws a glass of wine and a little meat into the sea, which is called' appreciating wandering souls' and prays for the fishing boat to go to sea smoothly. On this day, everyone on board was forbidden to say unlucky things or quarrel. "

Sacrificing to the sea is a way for fishermen in Daishan, Zhejiang and even the coastal areas of China to worship and believe in the sea dragon king and sea god. In the past, because the boat was driven by the wind and the production tools were backward, in the eyes of fishermen who lived by fishing for generations, they had a natural awe of the sea. The sea is the legendary dragon king's world. The quality of sea water, the safety of ships and the life and death of fishermen are all in the hands of the Dragon King. In order to pray for peace and harvest, going out to sea to worship and harvest the dragon king has become an indispensable spiritual sustenance in the traditional customs of fishermen.

The folk custom of offering sacrifices to the sea has been circulating among the people for a long time. Among the numerous fishermen's customs in Zhoushan Islands, Daishan fishermen's custom of offering sacrifices to the sea is unique. Its rich connotation, diverse forms and exquisite ceremonies all express fishermen's most primitive feelings and unique marine culture handed down from generation to generation.

Zheng Zai 17, a 79-year-old fisherman from Gaoting Village, Daishan County, drank "Hangwen" wine. In 65438+February last year, in the memory of many old fishermen such as Zheng, Gaoting Village in Daishan made this folk custom perfectly reappear:

Use two big gongs to clear the way, followed by fishermen carrying "sample masts" (that is, there are bamboo leaves at the top of the bamboo pole and small bamboos tied with palms at the top of the bamboo pole, which means there are many masts), followed by colored flags and other wooden barbecue boxes carrying red and blue silk, which contain "five animals" such as whole pigs and whole sheep, various vegetarian dishes, white salt, yellow sugar, tofu and cakes. Firecrackers rang all the way. After the sea sacrifice team arrived at the boat moored at the dock, the old fishermen dressed in dragon pants put their sacrifices on the Eight Immortals altar, and pigs and sheep were distributed on the left and right special racks. There is a tablecloth in front of the altar, a satin quilt cover on the back of the plush chair, and incense and candles on the table. With the rising tide, they were sprayed with perfume three times, during which the boatman was the boss. After offering sacrifices to the sea, put a little of each kind of sacrifice in a big glass and throw it into the sea with the scattered family. At this time, gongs sounded loudly and firecrackers rang in unison to pay tribute to the Dragon King.

Fishermen in Gaoting village of Daishan have been engaged in drift-net work for generations, so they have a unique way of offering sacrifices to the sea-"sample mast". According to Qiu, a cadre of the Bureau of Culture and Broadcasting in Daishan County who has been engaged in folk customs for a long time, due to different working methods in different places, the ways of offering sacrifices to the sea are also different, and the gods they offer are also different. In Zhoushan, in addition to offering sacrifices to the sea dragon king in the traditional sense, it also includes offering sacrifices to Guan Gong (also known as Guan Laoye), Tian Hou (Mazu), Emperor yangfu and various sea gods.

Up to now, some fishing villages in Daishan still follow this traditional folk custom, retaining the rough and simple original ecological cultural features of offering sacrifices to the sea, and showing the unique traditional culture and profound folk connotation of fishermen's dragon belief in the East China Sea.

Liu Pinliang, who lives in Xisha Village, Nianmu Community, Dongsha Town, Daishan, is the fourth generation fisherman named Liu. He said that according to the oral legend of the ancestors, the Xiaolonggong at the entrance of the village has a history of 200 to 300 years and is dedicated to the Dragon King of the East China Sea. Whether fishermen go out to sea or gather in the ocean, whether the harvest is good or not, they will go to the Dragon Palace to ask for the blessing of the Dragon King, and even the bosses who gather in Taizhou and Fenghua, which are engaged in fish business, will go to the Dragon Palace to ask for the blessing of the Dragon King.

In addition to the necessary etiquette and procedures, there are many taboos in offering sacrifices to the sea. For example, there are five kinds of meat, six kinds of vegetables, or ten kinds of meat in the offerings, because "five" and "fish" in Daishan dialect are homophonic, meaning "fish every year", while "six" means "six-six" and "ten" means "perfection", all of which are entrusted with the fishermen's good wishes.

And why sacrifice rice wine and pig's head to the sea? And never use chickens? Of course, there are beautiful legends. Yellow rice wine was used because fishermen joked that fishing in the sea was gambling with the Dragon King. The color of yellow rice wine was chaotic, and the Dragon King couldn't see it clearly after drinking it, so he "pushed down the village" and let the fishermen return home with full loads. As for the pig's head, it is said that Ao Guang, the earliest dragon king of the East China Sea, couldn't go to heaven because he didn't have a ruler on his head (it is said that this is called Boshan, but it is actually sarcoma). The fishermen thought that if he could give the ruler to the sea dragon king, it would be a smooth sailing and a bumper harvest for the net. Fishermen who can't find a ruler want to give something very fat to the sea dragon king. Eating too much may grow meat, so I thought of the pig head in the shape of "Boshan". Since then, fishermen worship with first-class pig heads and throw them into the sea when they go out to sea. Strangely, after a long time, the sea dragon king actually grew a "Boshan" on his head and could fly to the sky. He was so happy that he wanted to reward the person who gave the pig's head. After learning that it was a fisherman, he let go and said: fishing boats go out to sea for pig heads and convenience.

So, why are chickens excluded from the offering? For fishermen who catch drift nets, what they want most is smoothness, but the word "chicken feet" means "chaos". Therefore, fishermen not only don't use chicken when offering sacrifices, but also don't eat chicken on the boat at ordinary times. They didn't even dare to think about chickens, so they had to change the word "chicken" into "duck". Another way of saying it is that "chicken" is homophonic with "owe" in Daishan dialect, which is unlucky.

Beautiful legends contain fishermen's simple "complex" of the sea, which has been propagated in Zhoushan Islands for generations. In today's fishing season, Daishan fishermen use the altar to learn the traditional way of offering sacrifices to the sea, shout out the feelings of letting the sea rest and being grateful to the sea, and express their hope that all mankind will protect marine resources and care for the marine environment, and realize the harmonious coexistence between man and nature. ...