A Study Of The Song Dynasty Ceremonies

The Song Dynasty was the transitional period of ancient society,which continued from the above and introduced the following.By summarizing traditional culture from the Pre-Qin Period to Han and Tang Dynasties,The Song pushed the ancient culture to a new peak.During the Song Dynasty,etiquettes' formulating was extremely flourishing,both frequent compiling ceremony of official institution,also a large number of ceremony formulated by private.This paper selects Jia rituals of five ritual systems in Song Dynasty as the research object,mainly discusses the formulation to all kinds of the Jia Ritual and their actual operation in the Song Dynasty,and all kinds of specific ceremony.On this basis,the paper analyses the changes of the eras reflected from the Jia rituals of the Song Dynasty,how to strengthen the imperial power and civilize and control the grass-root society.The full text is divided into eight chapters.The first chapter discusses the formation of the “five rituals” system,the changes of the connotation to the Jia rituals,the classification to the Jia rituals from the literature in the song dynasty.From the second chapter to the sixth chapter,this part discusses mainly the enthronement and the big Chao-hui rituals,presenting the honorific titles and confering titles of nobility,banquet activities and the emperor's inspection,adulthood and marriage,endowment ritual and the ceremonies of local drinking.The seventh chapter analyzes the changes of the the eras reflected from the Jia rituals of the Song Dynasty.The last chapter analyzes the functions of the Jia rituals by strengthening imperial power and civilizing and controling the grass-root society.The first chapter discusses the evolution of the connotation and content of Jia rituals.It analyzes the reason why the Jia rituals in Zheng He Wu Li Xin Yi were changed on the basis of the Kai Yuan Li in the Tang Dynasty,and points out that the changes were related to Huizong's intentions to restore the Zhou Li by revising ceremonies.The second chapter discusses the enthronement and the big Chao-hui rituals.There were the ceremonial of offering sacrifices to the Heaven and the Earth and ancestral temples in the most emperors' enthronement in the Song Dynasty,and the general amnesty was followed the enthronement.There were four inner abdications in the Song Dynasty,by contrasting the inner abdication between Huizong and Gaozong,the latter was strictly regular,not only ascribed to the differences between the two abdications' background,but also reflected the importance to the rituals construction in the Song Dynasty and thus produced progress of rituals construction.The big Chao-hui rituals in the Song Dynasty had been made modest changes on the basis of previous dynasty,and they were revealed in highlight the power of Liu Empress Dowager.The third chapter discusses presenting the honorific titles and confering titles of nobility.The chapter points out that the system of honorific titles began in the North Zhou dynasty.Throughout the operation and evolution of honorific titles system during two Song Dynasty,their function had been changed,which was a transformation from the “respecting emperor” to “practising filial piety”,and the reason was closely related to the inner abdications since the late North Song Dynasty.The highest-lever ceremony of confering titles of nobility in Song Dynasty was the canonization of the queen,but in reality many canonizations couldn't be complied with ritual practice.The fourth chapter discusses banquet activities and the emperor's inspection.The banquets in the Song Dynasty included the big banquet and the Qu feast,holiday feast and awarding Jinshi feast besides.They had certain ritual system,and for someone who had breached the rituals in the big banquet,there were a series of system formulated to imperch.The emperors in the North Song Dynasty would award counties in virtue of their inspections,and would inspect the local system.Though the so-called “inspection”of Gaozong was just escape behavior under the background of the troops to Jin invasion to the southern area.In addition,this chapter also discusses the rituals of emperors' travelling and seeing sights,consist of ThreeYuanGuanDeng.The fifth chapter discusses the rituals concerned of adulthood and marriage.The adulthood ritual had been long abandoned in the Tang and Song Dynasties,although some scholars' extremely advocating,It had been unable to reverse the declining tendency.Ancient wedding had been given lots of ethical responsibility.In the official book of rituals revised in the Song Dynasty,the rituals of marriage on common people were elaborated for the first time.In the Song Dynasty marring off a daughter of imperial clan was limited,but suffered a serious impact of wealth factors in the late North Song Dynasty.The regulation of prohibiting marriage in mourning appeared twists and turns in Zhezong dynasty,but was eventually inherited.The sixth chapter discusses endowment ritual and the ceremonies of local drinking.In the Song Dynasty it reflected the strengthening of imperial power in endowment ritual.The ceremonies of local drinking in the Song Dynasty included Luming feast for successful candidates of the national civil service examination,who came from the counties,and local drinking ritual in order of age.The imperial examination during Shaoxing period in the South Song Dynasty had been closely associated with this ritual,but soon to be separated and run parallel.The local officials in the South Song Dynasty attached great importance to the local drinking ritual and actively raised funds to promote it,for the sake to establishment of a good local order.The seventh chapter discusses the changes in the Song dynasty through the Jia rituals.In this chapter,we explores the perfect imperial examination system in the Song Dynasty,the raising social status of common peoples,and the mutual fusion relationship between the etiquette and the law.The eighth chapter discusses the Jia rituals under the sight of the social control.This chapter analyzes the enthronement and endowment ritual showed the supreme imperial power by the ritual revising and rites;but the big Chao-hui rituals and presenting the honorific titles would be made modifications to cater to the highest authority in the specific historical period,and the reason was the ritual with the change of political power and would make timely correction.The government of Song Dynasty and literati groups tried to enlighten and control local society by the rituals concerned of adulthood and marriage,the ceremonies of local drinking,and official commendation,in order to form a good social order and atmosphere.