Fishermen's Kaiyang and Xieyang festivals

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Fishermen's Kaiyang and Xieyang festivals

Applicant: Daishan County, Zhejiang Province

Item No.: 979

Project No.: Ⅹ - 72

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: folk customs

Region: Zhejiang Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Daishan County, Zhejiang Province

Protection unit: Daishan County Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center

Brief introduction of fishermen's Kaiyang and Xieyang festivals

Applicant: Daishan County, Zhejiang Province

Fishermen's Kaiyang and Xieyang festivals are special folk activities in coastal areas of China. They are mainly spread in Xiangshan County and Daishan County of Zhejiang Province and Rongcheng City, Rizhao City and Jimo City of Shandong Province.

The fishermen's ocean opening festival in Xiangshan and Daishan of Zhejiang Province is a folk activity held by local fishermen when fishing boats go out to sea to pray for peace and harvest, while the Xieyang Festival is a folk activity held by fishermen after fishing boats come back from sea to thank the sea. As a spiritual activity to express fishermen's inner wishes, Kaiyang Festival and Xieyang Festival take sacrifice as the core, folk art performance as the main axis, contain a variety of cultural contents, and show the characteristics of entertaining God and people. According to records, the fishermen's Kaiyang and Xieyang festivals in Xiangshan have a history of more than 1000 years, especially from the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China. The main content of the festival is offering sacrifices to the sea. Its influence, participation and history are rare among many fishermen's customs in Zhoushan Islands. Every fishing season, Kaiyang and Xieyang seasons, there is a ceremony to offer sacrifices to the sea. Fishermen call it "Xielong Shuijiu" or "Xingbi". In history, there are two kinds of sacrifice to the sea in Daishan: Official sacrifice and folk sacrifice, with exquisite etiquette and complete procedures. At present, some fishing villages in Daishan still follow this traditional folk custom. As the representatives of Zhoushan folk customs, Kaiyang and Xieyang festivals reflect the fishermen's belief and worship of the Dragon King and the gods on the sea in the East China Sea, and show the wisdom of people living in harmony with nature in the eastern coastal areas of China.

Yuankuang village, Rongcheng City, Shandong Province, has a unique geographical location and climate. During the rainy season, deep-sea fish and shrimps will migrate to the coastal waters of the Yellow Sea in the south of yuankuang village according to the law of seasonal migration. Therefore, there is a popular saying that "fish and birds do not break their promise" and "a hundred fish go ashore in the rainy season". Yuankuang fishermen put the safety and harvest of their fishing career on the Dragon King of Donghai. They chose the rainy day to sacrifice to the sea to express their piety and pray for the protection of the Dragon King. Two coastal towns, shijiusuo, peijiacun and other coastal villages and towns in Rizhao coastal area of Shandong Province have been mainly engaged in fishery production since ancient times. According to local legend, June 13 of the lunar calendar is the birthday of the Dragon King. At that time, fishermen gather in the Dragon King Temple to hold worship activities and arrange fishery production in the coming year. This custom of worshiping the sea god was formed in Hongwu Period of Ming Dynasty, which is the concrete manifestation of fishermen's desire for a safe boat and a good harvest.

The online festival in zhougezhuang village, Tianheng Town, Jimo City, Shandong Province, also known as "sea sacrifice", is a grand festival for local fishermen. The online ceremony first appeared in Yongle period of Ming Dynasty, and then gradually evolved into a kind of folk custom activity, which has been handed down till now. Zhougezhuang online festival activities are mostly held around the annual grain rain. The fishermen in the village who are about to go out to sea offer sacrifices to the God of the sea with a reverent heart to pray for a safe and fruitful harvest.

Fishermen's Kaiyang Festival and Xieyang Festival are typical representatives of traditional marine culture, which have important reference value in the study of folklore, religion, social psychology, local history and culture. It is necessary to take measures to protect and inherit this ancient marine folk custom.