The Interaction Between Sacred Rituals And Local Customs

This paper is an anthropological thesis which is based on the theory of anthropology and a field survey. In this essay, the phenomenon of Muslims going on a pilgrimage would be studied in order to understand how pilgrims are perceived differently within the Linxia region and the condition of "Get connected to Hajj" which may derive from this perception. Pilgrimage is a divine ceremony, while "Get connected to Hajj" is a local custom. These two concepts merge together in Linxia district and are highly worshiped by the local residents. Visiting Hajj is necessary since Hajj is back from the sacred place. Moreover, sending and exchanging gifts has also became part of the ceremony during the process of "Get connected to Hajj".The place where the field survey is done is Guanghe county, which is located at Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu province. The phenomenon of "Get connected to Hajj" is the most representative and moreover, how the local residents perform this act has also changing as their knowledge of this religion deepens. With enhancing the sacredness of the ceremony itself in mind, the local people devoted a lot of effort to improve the financial transaction. In this essay, how these customs change may be discussed in detail.As a result, this study focuses on the integration between the divine ceremony and the local customs. The core of this research is to understand this unique cultural phenomenon through the discussion based on the idea of anthropology. With regard to the theoretical basis, the anthropological theory of "gift exchange" would be applied to elaborate on the phenomenon that is investigated in this study and to protrude the core of the study in a more vivid and abundant way.