The method of ancient sacrifices, what sacrifices were used by the ancients

1) Flat Land This is the most primitive and simple place of worship. The ancients believed that the most important sacrifice, the sacrificial place is the most simple, often do not need to seal the soil as an altar, only a piece of flat land can be swept clean to sacrifice, the ancients called it "pier". "The Book of Rites and Rituals" says:

The most respectful altar, swept the floor and sacrificed. The Book of Rites and Rituals says, "Except for the earth."

2) Altar "Book of Rites and Rituals" note: "seal the soil for the altar", that is, use earth and stones to build an altar that is higher than the ground. Depending on the object of worship, the altar has different shapes.

The round altar used to worship the heavens was called "round mound" in ancient times; The sacrificial ground is used with a square altar, which was called "square mound" in ancient times. The height and width of the altar vary depending on the time, place, and rank. Altars and mounds are usually located on the outskirts of the city, but occasionally on the hills.

The Qin and Han dynasties sealed the Zen ceremony, which is to seal the soil on the top of Mount Tai as an altar to sacrifice to the sky, which is called "sealing"; and sweep the ground in Liangfu Mountain to sacrifice the ground, called "Zen"; Collectively known as "Feng Zen".

3) Pingkeng is to dig a large flat pit on the ground as an altar, which the ancients called "Kan". The Book of Rites and Rituals says: "Digging the ground is a hurdle."

The Book of Rites and Sacrifices says: "The day is on the altar, and the moon is on the can." "The altar and the ridge are opposite, the altar is raised for yang, and the ridge is sunken for yin.

4) Palace temple on the basis of the altar or pier and build a wall to build a house, that is, to become a palace; After the objects of worship were displayed in the palace, it became a "temple". The palace temple was originally built only for human gods, and later many gods had temples, such as the Land Temple, the Dragon King Temple, the City God Temple, and so on. However, no house shall be built on the social altar, otherwise it will be regarded as a "society of mourning".

5) Grave Worshipping gods in cemeteries is a more primitive and simple method, and it is mostly used to worship ancestral gods. The ancients believed that going to the grave to worship was closest to the ancestors, and the ancestral gods heard it most clearly. "The Book of Rites: Under the Tan Bow" records:

When Confucius went out to lobby, "when he went to the country, he cried at the tomb and then walked, and when he returned to his country, he did not cry, but went to the tomb and entered."

1. In ancient times, there were four kinds of sacrificial methods: offering food, jade silk, employing people, and using blood.

2. The people who sacrifice food take food as the sky, and the original sacrifice takes food as the main means. "The Book of Rites and Rites" says: "At the beginning of the husband's ceremony, the beginning of the diet.

Its burnt millet and dolphins, dirty and drunk, and clay drums, can still cause it to worship the ghosts and gods." In other words, the ritual originated from offering food to the gods, and by burning millet and offering pork to the gods, digging the ground into a hole as a kettle, holding water in your hands, and beating clay drums to make music, the prayers and respects of the people could be conveyed to the spirits. A study of the origins of writing also reveals that the word for "sacrifice" is often related to food and drink.

Among the many foods, meat is the most popular.

3. The god of jade silk pays attention to clothing and accessories, and jade silk is indispensable in the sacrifices. 《

Three animals, less prison, too prison.

"Three animals" refers to the cattle, sheep and pigs used for sacrifice in ancient times, and later also called chickens, fish and pigs as the three animals. One is a general term for the sacrifices used by the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. The sacrifices used in ancient sacrifices were kept in prisons before sacrifices, so such sacrifices were called prisons; Insight, and according to the different types of sacrifices, there are too many prisons and fewer prisons.

"Too Prison", "Shao Prison" When the ancient emperor sacrificed to Sheji, the cattle, sheep, and pigs were all prepared as "Tai Prison". There are only sheep and pigs, and no cattle. Due to the different sacrifices and sacrifice objects, the specifications of the sacrifices used are also different, the Son of Heaven sacrifices to the community with a prison, and the princes sacrifice with a small prison.