疫情下的宗教儀式的變動：以柔佛古廟遊神的網路直播為例（2020-2021）

Changes in Religious Rituals in the Context of the Epidemic: A Case Study of Live Streaming during Processions of the Johor Ancient Chinese Temple (2020-2021)

2020年起Covid-19蔓延全球，對需要大量信眾親身參與的大型宗教活動帶來衝擊，也促成一些大型宗教活動調整儀式並轉向網路直播。馬來西亞的柔佛古廟遊神即為其中一例。
本文以2020至2022年的柔佛古廟遊神為例子，探討宗教儀式在疫情和網路直播的影響之下如何改變。同時也藉此討論在疫情和網路直播的影響下，各個參與者的權力／利發生怎樣的轉變，以及信徒範圍的變化。
2020年疫情不嚴重，因此遊神儀式變化不大，民眾仍被允許參與部分儀式。但自2021年初疫情日趨嚴重，導致遊神儀式大幅變動，民眾因遊神閉門舉行而無緣參與。2022年馬來西亞的防疫政策逐漸鬆綁，一些儀式有所恢復，但仍採取限制人數等措施。
從遊神儀式這三年的變化可得知主要有三：一些以往很重要的儀式因直播而進一步被突顯，但也有些儀式被邊緣化。即使儀式改變，主辦者仍透過儀式和直播展演權力。其中主辦者的新山中華公會的權力擴大，但五幫會館、一般民眾／信徒的權力和權利則限縮。最後，許多人可透過直播參與遊神，因此主辦方藉此主動把所有的觀看者納入信徒範圍之內，透過虛擬空間擴大信徒範圍。
過去的研究主要以中國、香港和台灣的個案為討論對象，但是新山的柔佛古廟遊神是在兩岸三地以外的地區，可從中看到大中華區以外的華人宗教活動如何體現地方權力和社會秩序。此外，從古廟遊神中可看見宗教、權力和空間三者的關聯與互動，因此未來藉由對宗教空間的討論，將進一步擴大對於宗教活動及其體現的權力的理解。

The Covid-19 pandemic has spread worldwide since 2020. The pandemic has greatly affected large religious events that require large numbers of people to attend in person and has caused some large religious events to adjust their rituals and go to live streaming. One instance of this is the procession of the Johor Ancient Chinese Temple.
In this paper, the rituals of the procession of the Johor Ancient Chinese Temple between 2020 and 2022 serve as a case study, examining how religious rituals have changed as a result of the epidemic and live streaming. The paper also discusses how the power and rights of each participant in the procession have changed, and how the range of believers has changed.
As I observed, the rituals of the procession of the Johor Ancient Chinese Temple in 2020 was changed only slightly because there were few cases of the Covid-19 in Malaysia then. However, the rituals in 2021 were transformed dramatically because the virus had by then spread widely in Malaysia, with the number of cases of Covid-19 reaching thousands a day during the time the rituals of the procession were going on. Believers were allowed to participate in some parts of the ritual in 2020, although other parts of the rituals were not open to them. The rituals in 2021 were open to participation for the host and staff only. Believers were not allowed to participate in the procession in person but allowed to participate in the rituals by watching live streaming instead. Following the loosening of prevention policies in 2022, some rituals of the procession could be resumed, but measures such as limiting the number of participants had to be taken.
There are three main changes in the rituals that have taken place over the past three years: some previously important rituals have been further highlighted through live streaming, but some have been marginalized. In addition, although the rituals have changed, the organizers still show their power through the rituals and live streaming. The owner of the Johor Ancient Chinese Temple and the main host of the procession, the Chinese Association of Johor Bahru, was expanded, but the power of other hosts, such as the five associations of Chinese dialect groups, was reduced, and the power and rights of the general public/believers became even more limited. Finally, many people can participate in the procession through live streaming, so the organizers directly included all viewers as believers, expanding the range of believers through virtual space.
Previous studies have focused on cases in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, but the procession of the Johor Ancient Chinese Temple in Johor Bahru was held outside of the regions of Greater China, providing insight into how Chinese religious activities outside of Greater China manifest local power and social order. In addition, the relationships and interactions among religion, power, and space can be seen in the procession of the Johor Ancient Chinese Temple, so that future discussion of religious space can further expand the understanding of religious activities and the power they embody.