I am an atheist, but both of my grandmas are religious so I have my fair share of religion. My grandmas would often talk to me about their religion. They have many gods and each god represents different things. For example, Guanyin is the goddess of mercy, Jade Emperor is the highest deity that rules over the world, Wangmu Niangniang is the god of happiness and also Jade Emperor's wife, etc. They respect their gods and would put up statues to worship them. I do not reject their beliefs. I respect their beliefs and do whatever they want me to such as bowing and offering food to the gods.My grandmas would often go to the temple on religious occasions to pay respect to the gods and worship them. I have gone to the temple a few times. Once a person enters the temple, the person is supposed to bow to the statue of a god three times as a show of respect. The temple would sometimes have monks playing the wooden fish also known as the Chinese temple block in constant harmony. Sometimes the monks would chant. This is meant as a calling to god. To let them know that they are respected and to protect the people and grant their wishes. There would sometimes be music playing in the temple. The music sound like a chant. The instrument that is usually used is the wooden fish and bells. The lyrics are usually just chants.
Music plays an important part in Chinese religion. Music is used in religious festivals and rituals. There is music that represents different things. For example, Yayue represents heaven and earth. It is used in rituals for ancestors. The instruments used to play Yayue is zither, drum, flute, gourd, bells, ocarina, wood, and chime. Dance also plays an essential part in religion, especially for sacrificial rituals. The Wenwu and the Wuwu are dances that are used for sacrifice. The Wenwu is a civil dance and the Wuwu is a military dance. The dancers are all males. The Wenwu dancers would dress in civilian clothes with feathers in their right hand and a flute in their other. The Wuwu dancer would dress in military clothes with a sword in their right hand and a shield in their left. Food is also important in Chinese religion. Food and wine are usually offered to gods as an honor.
I really enjoyed reading about your religious experiences. I am not religious either, but I did grow up being so. You mentioned that the type of music played can change depending on the occasion, and I had a similar experience in my church as a child. In the Presbyterian Christian church, the music is predetermined depending on the time of year/topic of the sermon.
ReplyDeleteI am also an atheist but I grew up in a religious family. Learning about Chinese religion was very enjoyable, I've never looked into polytheistic religions and I found it very interesting. The idea of music serving different purposes is very cool, in my experiences with Christianity, it only served one purpose and that's to praise God.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting getting to know a different religion. i had never really thought of what the traditions that are involved in religions other than Christianity.
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