This year, the culture of the gods in Fujian has once again emerged as one of the most watched folk activities during the Spring Festival. This ancient and rich tradition has been revitalized in the contemporary era, attracting a wide range of attention and enthusiastic participation, as well as a large number of young fans. This article will delve into the background and reasons for the prosperity of the ** Youshen culture, analyze the participation of young people in the re-Youshen activity, the attention of overseas travelers, and the positive role of this activity in the inheritance and development of traditional culture.
The culture of Youshen has a long history and carries rich historical and cultural connotations. In Fujian, especially in the coastal area, the activity of wandering gods has a long history and is known as one of the grandest traditional folk customs during the Spring Festival. This event combines elements of folk beliefs and cultural temple fairs, integrating multiple functions such as prayer, entertainment, and socialization, forming a wonderful cultural feast.
The ancient rural customs have broken into the vision of modern society, and the culture of wandering gods has incorporated new elements into the inheritance to better adapt to the needs of contemporary society. In addition to the traditional dragon dance, lion dance, and parade of gods, the activities also incorporate modern aesthetic elements, which makes this traditional culture glow with new vitality. As a representative example, Changle Houfu Youshen has become a local intangible cultural heritage project, attracting more and more attention and participation through its rich performance forms and profound cultural connotations.
The reason why the culture of Youshen can flourish again in contemporary times is because it has a profound historical heritage and unique cultural charm. First of all, the activity of wandering gods originates from traditional Chinese culture, carrying rich religious beliefs and blessing meanings. In this unique temple fair, people express their yearning for a better life by offering sacrifices to the gods and praying for good weather and abundant harvests.
Local cultural and historical experts point out that there are thousands of gods in Fujian, and this diversity of beliefs provides a steady stream of impetus for the colorful performances of the Youshen culture. This is one of the reasons why the culture of wandering gods is most prevalent in Fujian and other southeastern coastal areas.
The most important thing is that the culture of Youshen has been constantly innovating in the inheritance, absorbing modern elements, so that this ancient tradition can better adapt to contemporary society. By introducing a new version of the image of the god and integrating it into the aesthetic concept of young people, the culture of the gods has successfully attracted a wider group of people, so that this activity no longer stays in the traditional and outdated form.
Although the Youshen culture has deep historical roots, in recent years, this traditional folk activity has gradually shown a trend of "youth". Under the mode of "post-80s" funding, "post-90s" management, and "post-00s" participation, young people have become the backbone of Youshen culture.
In this process, the participation of the "post-00s" is particularly eye-catching. By designing a new version of the image of the god and joining the team of the god general, they have injected new vitality into the culture of the gods. Taking Lin Bin as an example, as one of the designers of the new version of the image of the god general, he said in an interview: "Since I was a child, I have been exposed to the culture of the gods in the village, and it can be said that the sense of cultural inheritance mission of 'carved into the bones' has always made me want to innovate and design the image of a god general." ”
Designing the image of the god will not be an easy task. The tower bone of the god is a large hollow bamboo bone statue, which requires a certain amount of skill and strength to carry it. The new version of the god general's face, tiara, clothing, etc. have been carefully designed to integrate modern aesthetic concepts. This innovation has not only won praise on the ** platform, but also has been recognized by the older generation. This kind of "younger" participation method makes traditional culture shine more brilliantly in the new era.
In recent years, Fujian's Youshen culture has not only spread in China, but also gradually moved to the international stage, attracting the keen attention of overseas travelers. During the Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon, Changle welcomes a large number of overseas folks back to China for the New Year and to see the wandering gods.
Overseas travelers who returned to China for the New Year have expressed their keen concern for the culture of the gods. Many people say that this is a kind of longing and love for the culture of their hometown, and they can feel the charm of traditional culture by participating in the activities of the gods. A young man working in Australia said: "Although we have a rich material life abroad, we always want to return to our hometown and experience the heritage of traditional culture. The culture of wandering gods is a way for us to trace our roots and express our deep attachment to our homeland. ”
This phenomenon has also aroused the attention of overseas Chinese communities to the culture of wandering gods. Some Chinese associations have organized viewing groups and invited Fujian Youshen teams to perform overseas. This form not only satisfies the nostalgia of overseas travelers for their hometown culture, but also promotes the international spread of Youshen culture.
In addition to benefiting from its profound historical heritage and unique cultural connotation, the culture of Youshen has flourished in contemporary times, but also because of its continuous innovation in inheritance, actively absorbing the participation of young people, and has achieved a certain influence in the world. However, a series of measures are still needed to achieve sustainable cultural development.
First of all, it is necessary to strengthen the research and recording of the culture of the wandering gods. This rich and colorful traditional culture needs to be more comprehensively and deeply understood, and it needs to be preserved through academic research and documentation so that it can be better passed on.
Second, it is necessary to pay attention to the education and training of the culture of wandering gods. By organizing related activities in schools and communities, we will teach the knowledge and skills of Youshen culture to the younger generation, and cultivate more inheritors. At the same time, professionals can be organized to train practitioners of Youshen culture, improve their professional level, and promote this traditional culture to better modernity.
Finally, strengthen the support of the cultural industry. By organizing activities such as the Youshen Cultural Festival and temple fairs, it attracts more tourists and audiences and injects new vitality into traditional culture. At the same time, it can develop related cultural and creative products, promote the development of Youshen culture through commercial means, and realize the organic combination of traditional culture and modern economy.
As a treasure of traditional Chinese culture, Youshen culture is full of vitality in contemporary times. It not only provides a platform for the public to celebrate the Spring Festival and pray for good fortune, but also through the active participation of the younger generation and the attention of overseas travelers, this tradition can be inherited and developed in contemporary society.
In this era of globalization, traditional culture needs to be continuously innovated in the inheritance to attract wider attention. The prosperity of Youshen culture is not only a respect for history and culture, but also an expectation for the future. Let us work together to contribute to the inheritance and development of Youshen culture, so that this unique temple fair culture will shine more brilliantly in the world.