英文摘要 |
The 'surname opera' of Taichung, held in front of Wan-ho Temple in the Nan T'un district has a history going back over 150 years. The series of performances span a period of about two months each year, and have become a distinctive local tradition. In this article, The author describes and analyzes the legends and other historical material relevant to the emergence of the opera, and also attempts an explanation of the pattern of persistence and change in terms of both their internal structure and external societal development. The proximate cause of the initiation of Nan T'un's 'surname opera' in 1824 was an accidental event. As was customary, the image of Matsu at the Wan-ho Temple attended the procession of another Matsu in eastern Taichung that year. At the end of the procession, the sedan chair bearing Matsu's image became too heavy to enter the Wan-ho Temple. The inhabitants of Nan T'un prayed to the goddess and promised to present the 'surname opera' and hold the impressive 'rite of three offerings' annually form then on. The oldest settlement of the Chinese pioneeers in the Taichung Valley, Nan T'un early developed into an militarily and culturally important market town. The 'surname opera' appeared during Nan T'un's 'golden age',taking the form of 'Luan T'an' (in northern Chinese terminology and broque). Like the temples in Lukang Nan T'un's 'surname opera' is a survival of the more gloriou past, and continues to provide a common identity to local residents (Cf. Deglopper, 1974). Nonetheless, this psychological function seems inadequate as a full explanation of the origin and persistence of the 'surname opera'. A comparison of 10 old and 15 new surname organizations in the Nan T'un area provides the basis for an argument that such organizations simultaneously contain characteristics of the three most popular forms of religious organization in rural Taiwan, namely, ancestor-worshipping clan organizations, territorically defined religious groups, and shen-ming hui (deity worshipping organizations). |