傅淑青
人類非遺代表作“二十四節(jié)氣”之三
二十四節(jié)氣是中國(guó)古人智慧的結(jié)晶,專門用于農(nóng)事指導(dǎo)而訂立的歷法。
在二十四節(jié)氣的文化展衍部分中,立夏習(xí)俗的主要傳承地——杭州市拱墅區(qū)半山社區(qū),參與了二十四節(jié)氣列入人類非遺代表作的聯(lián)合申報(bào)。
半山地處杭州北郊,文化積淀深厚。歷史上,立夏習(xí)俗本來就多在東南各省流行,杭州半山一帶保存得較為完整,也很有代表性,筆者對(duì)此早有耳聞。最近,在拱墅區(qū)非遺保護(hù)中心副主任文聞的陪同下,筆者采訪了當(dāng)?shù)氐膸孜焕先?,感受?dú)特魅力。
家住半山街道石塘社區(qū)的楊梅芬大媽介紹,半山一帶的人普遍把立夏當(dāng)作邁入夏天的標(biāo)志,之后,溫度節(jié)節(jié)攀升,草木莊稼欣欣向榮,農(nóng)耕也更加繁忙。
半山的居民如今普遍不再下地耕作,但他們?nèi)耘f把立夏當(dāng)成一年中為數(shù)不多的重要節(jié)日來過。楊大媽說,在每年立夏的三四天前,節(jié)日的氣氛就開始濃郁,尤其對(duì)“立夏日,吃補(bǔ)食”這個(gè)說法,居民到現(xiàn)在還信奉無比。過立夏節(jié),其中之一是吃烏米飯。據(jù)說吃了烏米飯,小孩不會(huì)遭蚊蟲叮咬,大人也不容易中暑生病。
立夏快到,楊大媽提前好幾天準(zhǔn)備好做烏米飯的主要材料——烏樹葉。半山街道的家庭主婦都和她一樣,三三兩兩結(jié)伴去山上采摘烏樹葉,拿回家洗凈切碎,浸泡在40度左右的溫水里,待到烏樹葉出油后,把糯米浸泡進(jìn)去12小時(shí)左右,再用小火蒸熟。立夏當(dāng)日,這是楊大媽一家人必吃的,雖然做起來費(fèi)時(shí)費(fèi)力,“但世代相傳的習(xí)俗不好隨便摜掉的”。
除了吃烏米飯,吃野米飯也是大家喜歡的。八十高齡的半山居民張德民回憶,從他小時(shí)候記事起,就有立夏前后吃野米飯的風(fēng)俗。
春末夏初,蠶豆和野筍是時(shí)令之蔬。舊時(shí),人們把采摘來的蠶豆和挖掘來的野筍混在糧食里,在田間地頭隨意支一個(gè)灶,燒成野米飯當(dāng)美味充饑。后來,這一習(xí)俗被保留,演變?yōu)榱⑾牡闹饕獋鹘y(tǒng)習(xí)俗。燒野米飯是最受孩子歡迎的。因?yàn)樵谶@天,他們可以假借摘蠶豆和挖鮮筍的名義到處瘋玩,大人不會(huì)責(zé)罰。
半山一帶的居民過立夏,還有一個(gè)習(xí)俗——稱人。據(jù)說,人在立夏稱過身體重量,可以防止疰夏。以前稱人,大都稱十來歲以下的孩子,祈愿他們平安健康過夏天。張大爺說,稱人有非常美好的寓意:會(huì)給人們帶來福氣。是啊,不管男女老少,誰不希望帶點(diǎn)福氣回家?
聽罷楊大媽和張大爺?shù)慕榻B,筆者甚是驚訝,幾千年的農(nóng)耕社會(huì)早已離我們漸行漸遠(yuǎn),為何半山立夏習(xí)俗如此完美地傳承保留下來?文主任給出了解釋,她說皋亭文化研究會(huì)是傳承半山立夏習(xí)俗的功臣之一。
在文主任的介紹下,筆者走訪了皋亭文化研究會(huì)會(huì)長(zhǎng)、半山立夏習(xí)俗傳承人倪愛仁先生。倪先生告訴筆者,皋亭文化研究會(huì)為挖掘、研究、開發(fā)、利用地方文化而工作。為了讓立夏習(xí)俗在民間得以弘揚(yáng)傳承,2006年,該研究會(huì)組織活動(dòng),燒了百余斤烏米飯,在半山娘娘廟前免費(fèi)分發(fā)。倪先生至今對(duì)當(dāng)時(shí)的場(chǎng)景記憶猶新。他說,場(chǎng)面十分熱烈,烏米飯?jiān)跇O短的時(shí)間里發(fā)放完畢,省內(nèi)外有18家媒體對(duì)這一活動(dòng)做過深度報(bào)道。
倪先生說,民眾對(duì)吃烏米飯這一習(xí)俗的喜愛程度,激發(fā)了皋亭文化研究會(huì)繼續(xù)做下去的信心?!懊癖姸紩?huì)在立夏日趕來半山,我們燒兩三千斤烏米飯都不夠,去年用掉了近4000斤糯米,這便可測(cè)算出參與立夏習(xí)俗活動(dòng)人數(shù)?!?/p>
筆者詢問資金來自何處,倪先生回答,早先是參加活動(dòng)的義工自己募捐,后來政府給予了一定的支持。令倪先生特別感動(dòng)的是,義工都對(duì)立夏習(xí)俗感興趣,“他們很樸實(shí)地說,我們的想法很簡(jiǎn)單,就是不想讓老祖宗留下來的民俗斷掉”。
除了這股民間自發(fā)力量,政府部門也越來越重視。從2008年起,拱墅區(qū)多個(gè)部門對(duì)立夏習(xí)俗進(jìn)行了多次專題調(diào)研,建立了一個(gè)完整的文字、圖片和影像資料體系。2012年,拱墅區(qū)政府將半山立夏習(xí)俗活動(dòng)發(fā)展為半山立夏節(jié),至今已舉辦了五屆。期間,半山立夏習(xí)俗先后被列入杭州市、浙江省非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)名錄,這些都對(duì)二十四節(jié)氣申遺起到了相當(dāng)作用。
舉辦立夏節(jié),形式和內(nèi)容自然越來越豐富,民眾可以體驗(yàn)農(nóng)業(yè)耕作、可以感受“郊野迎夏”傳統(tǒng)、可以參與體育嘉年華活動(dòng),也可以加入文藝雅集,真正成為群眾性的民俗活動(dòng)大聚會(huì)。
半山立夏節(jié)不僅吸引了杭州市民,也使外地游客產(chǎn)生莫大的興趣。在上海一所大學(xué)工作的陳正權(quán)先生是一位民俗文化的研究者,他覺得立夏習(xí)俗在江浙一帶,只有半山的節(jié)會(huì)是最接地氣、最純正的民俗活動(dòng)。文主任介紹,像陳先生這樣慕名而來的專家學(xué)者,每年都有許多,他們來現(xiàn)場(chǎng)調(diào)研半山立夏習(xí)俗。
隨著二十四節(jié)氣的申遺成功,半山立夏習(xí)俗在省內(nèi)外乃至全球獲得了相當(dāng)?shù)闹群兔雷u(yù)度。拱墅區(qū)非遺保護(hù)中心正集中精力對(duì)立夏習(xí)俗進(jìn)行多方位的挖掘研究,開始建立傳承人和知情人的口述訪談?wù){(diào)查記錄,接下來還準(zhǔn)備著手進(jìn)校園、進(jìn)社區(qū),讓學(xué)生和市民真正了解老祖宗留下來的寶貴財(cái)富。
筆者實(shí)地踏看了半山森林公園娘娘廟,這里,立夏文化園已經(jīng)破土動(dòng)工,園內(nèi)500株烏米樹苗已經(jīng)栽下,竹子也將陸續(xù)培植;拱墅立夏文化展示廳的建設(shè)也被提上了議程,街道社區(qū)、拱墅非遺保護(hù)中心以及皋亭文化研究會(huì)等正在收集農(nóng)耕用品和立夏習(xí)俗的相關(guān)資料。
文主任說:“我們希望半山立夏習(xí)俗能在民間扎根、傳承;希望二十四節(jié)氣這一人類非遺代表作在全世界得到更廣泛的弘揚(yáng)?!?/p>
(本文照片由拱墅區(qū)非遺保護(hù)中心提供)
Banshan in Hangzhou Honored for “Beginning of Summer” Custom
By Fu Shuqing
November 30, 2016 saw the 24 Solar Terms of China were added to the World Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Though the tradition, which was formed thousands years ago in China, is no longer very important in various ways as China is taking strides toward modernization, the lifestyle shaped by the tradition still goes on. The solar terms are observed across China in various ways. Zhejiang accounted for four of the ten places chosen to represent the solar terms tradition in the application for the heritage list. Banshan in Hangzhou is chosen to represent the local celebration of the Beginning of Summer. The tradition is well preserved in the region.
The Beginning of Summer usually falls on the tenth day of the fourth month on the lunar calendar or in early May on the Gregorian calendar. It is the seventh solar term of the lunar year and the first solar term of summer. In the farming tradition, people get busy farming as soon as summer begins.
The traditional celebration of the beginning of summer in Banshan is focused on food. Before the big day, housewives go to mountains to pick leaves of a special tree, which are used to make black rice. The leaves are cut to small pieces and then are submerged in the 40-degree lukewarm water for the black tint to melt into the liquid. Then glutinous rice goes into the liquid and stays there for 12 hours. The blackened rice is then steamed. It is said that eating black rice can keep children safe from insect bites and adults from getting heat strokes.
On the day, young girls pick broad beans in farmlands and young boys go to mountains and dig bamboo shoots. Kids go wild and naughty doing the assignment. After they get their harvest, they learn to cook in the open. On the Beginning of Summer day, people get weighed. Traditionally, getting weighed is a sure way to make people aware that they need to eat as properly as possible and keep themselves as healthy as possible in summer.
The tradition is well preserved in Banshan largely because of Gaoting Cultural Studies Association, which was founded in 2002 and is dedicated to the studies of the 24 Chinese solar terms, the first of its kind in the province.
The association is headed by Ni Airen, a native of Banshan. He founded the association with 50 some local enthusiasts. The Beginning of Summer is a key subject upon which the association has spent time studying. Since 2007, the association has distributed the black rice at the Goddess Temple in Banshan on the Beginning of Summer day. The association has funded the event of its own.
The custom is also a high priority on the local government agenda. In 2008, the tradition was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at both the municipal and the provincial level. A government research center for intangible cultural heritage did a thorough survey on the tradition and took a complete visual and audio record of the local tradition. The survey documents contributed to the successful designation of the 24 Solar Terms of China as UNESCO heritage.
In 2012, the first Beginning of Summer Festival was held in Banshan Forest Park. Since then, the festival has become very colorful and diversified. Nowadays, the festival hosts quite a few events. Ni Airen, the president of the association, is glad that the tradition is very much alive today. He remembers that only 50 kilo of rise was used the first time he and his colleagues distributed free steamed black rice on the day. In 2016, 2,000 kilo was distributed. The rice consumption well indicates how many people are attracted to the festival.
The festival will be more colorful in the future. A project has kicked off, to build a special park to mark the Beginning of Summer day. Five hundred trees have been planted. The trees would provide tree leaves for people to pick to prepare for the steamed black rice. A garden has been prepared for broad bean to be planted. A work group is studying and evaluating an exhibition site to be built to display the tradition.