Religious Anthropology Research On The Funeral Ritual Of Han Nationality In Southern Part Of Hunan Province

Funeral ritual is one of the four rituals of life that have a long history as a widespread ritual of religion.Through the study of funeral ritual,we can find out the characteristics of folk religions in a region,the content of religious meanings and the way of religious expression,etc.The southern part of Hunan Province is located in the ancient commercial road of the Xianggui Corridor and is a place where Chu culture interacts with the South Vietnamese culture.Due to historical accumulation,humanistic ecology,natural environment and livelihood model,the funeral rituals in this area have the common features of Han nationality and distinct regional characteristics.Based on the detailed fieldwork,historical materials and interviews,this thesis makes a comprehensive analysis from the perspectives of religion,anthropology and ethnology.It is believed that the funeral ritual in southern Hunan is an expression practice integrating Confucianism,Buddhism,Taoism and folk beliefs of Chu.Funeral ritual has a strong cultural authority and it build a two-dimensional concept of space-time universe.Oral and behavioral is its way of expressing cultural content.It expresses the people's ethnic,clans and clansmen's historical and cultural identities,as well as ethical and moral identities in three aspects: individual morality,moral standards among family members,collective commonality of village collectives value.The inheritance of ritual not only has inherent religious and cultural motivation,but also driven by external secular forces,which is an indispensable cultural appeal of the people.The analysis in this article explains the sufficient reason why the funeral ritual inherited so far in the interaction with people,at the same time,it analyzes the people's situation in the new field,which confirms the diversity and modernization of the religious culture in the multi-dimensional structure of China.Funeral ritual is an important window for us to know and study the culture of southern Hunan.Through the analysis of funeral rites in southern Hunan,we can understand the existence of folk beliefs in this area and provide an important reference for government departments to formulate religious policies.