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2006年农历五月初四这一天，青海省海北藏族自治州刚察县泉吉乡所在的青海湖北岸人声鼎沸，经幡飘扬，这儿正在举办一年一度的“祭海”活动。
藏族牧民自发举行的“祭海”，这不仅是带有浓郁宗教色彩的一种民俗活动，也是一种文化现象，其间包含着很多的民风民俗以及对大自然认识的哲理——体现人与自然长期共存、和谐平衡的渴望。
青海湖是我国最大的咸水湖，面积达4456平方公里，环湖周长360多公里，平均水深19米，蓄水量达1050亿立方米，湖面海拔3260米，比两座叠起的泰山还要高。即使是盛夏，这里的日平均气温不超过15℃。
藏民对青海湖的“祭海”活动已延续上千年之久，当地百姓通过“祭海”祈求海神对人畜庇佑，祈求风调雨顺……
时值中午11点许，“祭海”开始了!众喇嘛、信徒数百人在活佛的带领下，开始围绕着搭建的经幡诵经，接着向空中抛撒印有鹿马的纸片，并向炉中倾倒食物……
诵经完毕，神坛祭祀开始，活佛与喇嘛各执祭器围绕神坛缠绕羊毛绳，并在神坛周围插上镇邪驱妖的箭与其他祭器，霎时间号角吹响，烟雾燎绕，信徒跪拜，人欢马叫……
祭毕神坛，“祭海”正式开始，手执各种祭品的喇嘛与信徒们在活佛的带领下，浩浩荡荡向湖边奔去。到了湖边，先由活佛诵经作法事，众喇嘛、信徒高举着祭品簇拥在活佛身后，得到活佛指令后，大家纷纷将祭品抛向湖中，霎时湖水中浪花四溅，信徒呐喊欢呼一片。此时更有许多老人、妇女跪在湖边，摘下身上的护身符用湖水洗涤，据说这天用湖水洗护身符，可保一年平安。还有许多小伙子骑着马下湖狂奔，同样也是想获得神湖的庇佑……
“祭海”的另一项内容就是祈雨。据当地人讲，每年“祭海”后数小时必定降雨。
周长360余公里的青海湖周边“祭海”的地方不止一处，据说还有许多地方今天同时也在“祭海”。
从藏民五月初三“祭海”想到汉族“端午节”，这种向海中抛撒食物是否和汉族“端午节”有某种联系?不过藏民向湖中抛撒的祭品是用绸缎做成的袋子装着的。
“祭海”结束后，湖边满地落下的是印有鹿马的红绿小纸片，这种小纸片便称之为“鹿马”。抛“鹿马”即是人向神传递心愿的一种方法，相传长着鹿角的神马能上天、入湖，能向神明传达信息。
“祭海”之后牧民们便举行赛马活动。下午两点赛马开始，刚刚还是晴朗的天空，此时却是乌云密布，狂风大作，紧接着便下起雨来，联想起“祭海”之后必有雨的说法，倒真有些怪异。不过“神明”一说是虚无缥缈的，“祭海”只是人们的一种美好企盼，人们企盼人与大自然共生共存，企盼青海湖永远水清水绿、风平浪静……
青海湖古称“西海”，藏语称“错温波”，意思是“青色的湖”，蒙语称“库库诺尔”，意思是“蓝色的海洋”。青海湖周边曾是卑禾族游牧区，所以青海湖又称“卑禾羌海”，汉族人称“仙海”，到了北魏才更名为“青海”。
历代皇帝都视青海湖为神明并对青海湖题词、立碑与封号，唐玄宗曾封“西海”之神为“广润公”，封号“青海湖”；宋仁宗亲题“通圣广润公”，并在长安设坛遥祭；到了清代祭海活动已制度化，康熙曾题“正恒”，雍正赐封“青海灵显大渎之尊神”，乾隆题“青海胜景”……至于唐蕃和亲，文成公主嫁给藏王松赞干布经过日月山、倒淌河、青海湖的故事，更是家喻户晓。
青海湖孕育了许多美丽动人的神话传说，《山海经》记载女神西王母就在青海湖；《穆天子传》同样记载女神王母娘娘所居住的瑶池就是青海湖。
青海考古发现，早在旧石器时代青海湖周边就有人类活动，从出土的石制刮削器、雕刻器和砍斫器得以证明。当时人类的狩猎活动，也证明了早在两万多年前青海广大地区气候十分温暖，森林茂密，水草丰美。
然而随着过度的人类活动和对大自然无节制的索取，随之而来的是“温室效应”和荒漠化。水文资料显示，近几十年来青海湖水位持续下降，于是专家惊呼“青海湖将成为第二个罗布泊!”
造成成青海湖水位不断下降的主要原因在于青海湖周边地区干旱少雨，地下水位下降，原先流入青海湖的108条河水，如今大部分都已断流，加之青海湖蒸发量大于河水流入量，水位持续下降是必然的。
为了扼制青海湖水位下降的势头，青海省政府采取了限制青海湖周边人类活动的措施，如退耕退牧、还草还树、禁止捕捞青海湖湟鱼、减少地下水的开采等等，但能否收到明显效果，还有待于时间的证明。
环境的日益恶化威胁着人类的生存，爱护地球，维护生态平衡已不再是什么口号，青海这种民间“祭海”活动，也同样寄托着这种美好的愿望。
Memorial Ceremony for the Blue Sea
Qinghai Province in China’s outback west is named after the Blue Sea, Qinghai in Chinese. The country’s largest saltwater lake, the Blue Sea measures 4,456 square kilometers with the average depth at 19 meters. At the altitude of 3,260 meters above the sea level, the vast lake has been a sacred water body since ancient times.
An emperor of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) granted an official lordship title to the god of the Blue Sea. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), a memorial service to the Blue Sea was institutionalized. And the inland sea has carried within itself many ancient legends.
Archaeologists have found the traces of human activities in the Paleolithic Age around the lake. These early residents were hunters in the once warm, humid, and fertile forest land. But excessive human activities and climate changes have brought a sea change to the saltwater lake. Over the past several decades, the water level at the Blue Sea has kept dropping. Most of the 108 rivers that used to drain into the Blue Sea have dried up due to severe droughts.
To stem the drop of the water level and the desertification around the lake area, the Qinghai government has adopted a variety of measures, such as returning farmland to pasture and forest, planting trees and grass, reducing human activities, etc. The effects of these measures are yet to be seen.
Most residents around the Blue Sea are Tibetans. Their memorial ceremony to the lake dates back to more than 1,000 years ago. The ceremony is more than a folk event or religious affair. It is also a cultural phenomenon, reflecting their understanding of the world and the way of life, and their yearning for everlasting peace and harmony between man and nature.
This year’s grand celebration fell on the fourth day of the fifth month on the lunar calendar. The grand ceremony I watched was held on the northern bank of the Blue Sea.
The ceremony started around 11 in the morning. Led by a Living Buddha, lamas and disciples began to recite Buddhist sutra while marching around Buddhist sutra streamers. Red and green confetti printed with the image of magic horses with deer horns were scattered into the sky and food was poured into cauldrons.
When the sutra reciting was over, the Living Buddha and lamas came to the altar. They walked around the altar, holding the sacrificial utensils in their hands, and plugging arrows and other objects on the ground to exorcise devils. Horns sounded. Smoke soared. Disciples prostrated. Horses neighed.
After the fete at the altar was over, lamas and disciples went to the Blue Sea with their offerings wrapped up in silk bags. After conducting more religious ceremonies, the Living Buddha gave the signal for the people to give their offerings to the lake. For a moment, the water splashed as people were throwing offerings into the lake with loud cheers. Many older people and women washed their amulets in the lake for good luck. Some plucky young men rode their horses into the lake to get blessed by the god of the lake.
The prayers said at the ceremonies were also meant for rain. Some local people said that it would always rain a few hours after the grand event and that day would be no exception.
On the same day, many similar ceremonies were held on the 360-km shores of the lake. After the ceremony in the morning, a horse race started at 2 pm. Just as predicted, black clouds gathered and seethed, wild winds roared, and rain poured down. It was truly beyond my expectation to see how the blue sky suddenly clouded over and a storm arose.
It is no longer a slogan to protect the earth and maintain balanced ecology. The ceremony for the Blue Sea is another way of stressing the importance of keeping our earth safe.
(Translated by David)
藏族牧民自发举行的“祭海”，这不仅是带有浓郁宗教色彩的一种民俗活动，也是一种文化现象，其间包含着很多的民风民俗以及对大自然认识的哲理——体现人与自然长期共存、和谐平衡的渴望。
青海湖是我国最大的咸水湖，面积达4456平方公里，环湖周长360多公里，平均水深19米，蓄水量达1050亿立方米，湖面海拔3260米，比两座叠起的泰山还要高。即使是盛夏，这里的日平均气温不超过15℃。
藏民对青海湖的“祭海”活动已延续上千年之久，当地百姓通过“祭海”祈求海神对人畜庇佑，祈求风调雨顺……
时值中午11点许，“祭海”开始了!众喇嘛、信徒数百人在活佛的带领下，开始围绕着搭建的经幡诵经，接着向空中抛撒印有鹿马的纸片，并向炉中倾倒食物……
诵经完毕，神坛祭祀开始，活佛与喇嘛各执祭器围绕神坛缠绕羊毛绳，并在神坛周围插上镇邪驱妖的箭与其他祭器，霎时间号角吹响，烟雾燎绕，信徒跪拜，人欢马叫……
祭毕神坛，“祭海”正式开始，手执各种祭品的喇嘛与信徒们在活佛的带领下，浩浩荡荡向湖边奔去。到了湖边，先由活佛诵经作法事，众喇嘛、信徒高举着祭品簇拥在活佛身后，得到活佛指令后，大家纷纷将祭品抛向湖中，霎时湖水中浪花四溅，信徒呐喊欢呼一片。此时更有许多老人、妇女跪在湖边，摘下身上的护身符用湖水洗涤，据说这天用湖水洗护身符，可保一年平安。还有许多小伙子骑着马下湖狂奔，同样也是想获得神湖的庇佑……
“祭海”的另一项内容就是祈雨。据当地人讲，每年“祭海”后数小时必定降雨。
周长360余公里的青海湖周边“祭海”的地方不止一处，据说还有许多地方今天同时也在“祭海”。
从藏民五月初三“祭海”想到汉族“端午节”，这种向海中抛撒食物是否和汉族“端午节”有某种联系?不过藏民向湖中抛撒的祭品是用绸缎做成的袋子装着的。
“祭海”结束后，湖边满地落下的是印有鹿马的红绿小纸片，这种小纸片便称之为“鹿马”。抛“鹿马”即是人向神传递心愿的一种方法，相传长着鹿角的神马能上天、入湖，能向神明传达信息。
“祭海”之后牧民们便举行赛马活动。下午两点赛马开始，刚刚还是晴朗的天空，此时却是乌云密布，狂风大作，紧接着便下起雨来，联想起“祭海”之后必有雨的说法，倒真有些怪异。不过“神明”一说是虚无缥缈的，“祭海”只是人们的一种美好企盼，人们企盼人与大自然共生共存，企盼青海湖永远水清水绿、风平浪静……
青海湖古称“西海”，藏语称“错温波”，意思是“青色的湖”，蒙语称“库库诺尔”，意思是“蓝色的海洋”。青海湖周边曾是卑禾族游牧区，所以青海湖又称“卑禾羌海”，汉族人称“仙海”，到了北魏才更名为“青海”。
历代皇帝都视青海湖为神明并对青海湖题词、立碑与封号，唐玄宗曾封“西海”之神为“广润公”，封号“青海湖”；宋仁宗亲题“通圣广润公”，并在长安设坛遥祭；到了清代祭海活动已制度化，康熙曾题“正恒”，雍正赐封“青海灵显大渎之尊神”，乾隆题“青海胜景”……至于唐蕃和亲，文成公主嫁给藏王松赞干布经过日月山、倒淌河、青海湖的故事，更是家喻户晓。
青海湖孕育了许多美丽动人的神话传说，《山海经》记载女神西王母就在青海湖；《穆天子传》同样记载女神王母娘娘所居住的瑶池就是青海湖。
青海考古发现，早在旧石器时代青海湖周边就有人类活动，从出土的石制刮削器、雕刻器和砍斫器得以证明。当时人类的狩猎活动，也证明了早在两万多年前青海广大地区气候十分温暖，森林茂密，水草丰美。
然而随着过度的人类活动和对大自然无节制的索取，随之而来的是“温室效应”和荒漠化。水文资料显示，近几十年来青海湖水位持续下降，于是专家惊呼“青海湖将成为第二个罗布泊!”
造成成青海湖水位不断下降的主要原因在于青海湖周边地区干旱少雨，地下水位下降，原先流入青海湖的108条河水，如今大部分都已断流，加之青海湖蒸发量大于河水流入量，水位持续下降是必然的。
为了扼制青海湖水位下降的势头，青海省政府采取了限制青海湖周边人类活动的措施，如退耕退牧、还草还树、禁止捕捞青海湖湟鱼、减少地下水的开采等等，但能否收到明显效果，还有待于时间的证明。
环境的日益恶化威胁着人类的生存，爱护地球，维护生态平衡已不再是什么口号，青海这种民间“祭海”活动，也同样寄托着这种美好的愿望。
Memorial Ceremony for the Blue Sea
Qinghai Province in China’s outback west is named after the Blue Sea, Qinghai in Chinese. The country’s largest saltwater lake, the Blue Sea measures 4,456 square kilometers with the average depth at 19 meters. At the altitude of 3,260 meters above the sea level, the vast lake has been a sacred water body since ancient times.
An emperor of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) granted an official lordship title to the god of the Blue Sea. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), a memorial service to the Blue Sea was institutionalized. And the inland sea has carried within itself many ancient legends.
Archaeologists have found the traces of human activities in the Paleolithic Age around the lake. These early residents were hunters in the once warm, humid, and fertile forest land. But excessive human activities and climate changes have brought a sea change to the saltwater lake. Over the past several decades, the water level at the Blue Sea has kept dropping. Most of the 108 rivers that used to drain into the Blue Sea have dried up due to severe droughts.
To stem the drop of the water level and the desertification around the lake area, the Qinghai government has adopted a variety of measures, such as returning farmland to pasture and forest, planting trees and grass, reducing human activities, etc. The effects of these measures are yet to be seen.
Most residents around the Blue Sea are Tibetans. Their memorial ceremony to the lake dates back to more than 1,000 years ago. The ceremony is more than a folk event or religious affair. It is also a cultural phenomenon, reflecting their understanding of the world and the way of life, and their yearning for everlasting peace and harmony between man and nature.
This year’s grand celebration fell on the fourth day of the fifth month on the lunar calendar. The grand ceremony I watched was held on the northern bank of the Blue Sea.
The ceremony started around 11 in the morning. Led by a Living Buddha, lamas and disciples began to recite Buddhist sutra while marching around Buddhist sutra streamers. Red and green confetti printed with the image of magic horses with deer horns were scattered into the sky and food was poured into cauldrons.
When the sutra reciting was over, the Living Buddha and lamas came to the altar. They walked around the altar, holding the sacrificial utensils in their hands, and plugging arrows and other objects on the ground to exorcise devils. Horns sounded. Smoke soared. Disciples prostrated. Horses neighed.
After the fete at the altar was over, lamas and disciples went to the Blue Sea with their offerings wrapped up in silk bags. After conducting more religious ceremonies, the Living Buddha gave the signal for the people to give their offerings to the lake. For a moment, the water splashed as people were throwing offerings into the lake with loud cheers. Many older people and women washed their amulets in the lake for good luck. Some plucky young men rode their horses into the lake to get blessed by the god of the lake.
The prayers said at the ceremonies were also meant for rain. Some local people said that it would always rain a few hours after the grand event and that day would be no exception.
On the same day, many similar ceremonies were held on the 360-km shores of the lake. After the ceremony in the morning, a horse race started at 2 pm. Just as predicted, black clouds gathered and seethed, wild winds roared, and rain poured down. It was truly beyond my expectation to see how the blue sky suddenly clouded over and a storm arose.
It is no longer a slogan to protect the earth and maintain balanced ecology. The ceremony for the Blue Sea is another way of stressing the importance of keeping our earth safe.
(Translated by David)