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- Panel 5-3 Feast as Sacrifice: Offerings and the Construction of the Divine-Human Order in Medieval Chinese Rituals /Chen Yi-Yun
Panel 5-3 Feast as Sacrifice: Offerings and the Construction of the Divine-Human Order in Medieval Chinese Rituals /Chen Yi-Yun
Chen Yi-Yun
Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, Research Scholar
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of History, National Dong Hwa University
In Chinese culture, the banquet (yànxiǎng)—beyond its outward display of sumptuous delicacies—constitutes a solemn ritual centered on li (propriety). It encompasses the arrangement of vessels, the pacing of offerings, and the moderation of consumption, all signifying order and discipline. This concept is equally evident in sacrificial rites to deities, where offerings vary according to the object of worship and the ritual setting. Throughout the ceremonial process, all presented offerings are first “displayed but not consumed”(陳設不食). Only after the rite concludes and the food is withdrawn are blessings distributed according to rank, achieving a shared feast between the divine and the human through Sharing of Blessings (分福). Yet how were the offerings for different sacrificial recipients established and standardized? What is the significance and transformation of these offerings throughout the ritual process? Moving beyond previous discussions of “the raw and thecooked,” this paper examines the ritual functions of sacrificial offerings through the lenses of ornamentality, edibility, and distributability. Under the theme of “Feast as Sacrifice,” it explores its historical origins, development, and meaning, thereby illustrating the human-divine relationships and cosmic order embedded within Chinese sacrificial culture. Drawing on historical texts from the Han-Wei to Song dynasties, this study first examines the institutionalization of Chinese sacrificial feast culture, tracing the origins of “banquet-based” rituals and the composition of offerings. It then observes how Buddhist and Taoist fasting ceremonies (zhai 齋) distinguish celestial realms, underworld domains, and local deities through altar arrangements and offering types. The resulting practices of distributing food (shishi 施食) and bestowing blessings (sanfu 散福) illustrate the interplay between the edibility of offerings and ritual procedures.
Keywords: Non-Consumptive Display, Blood Sacrifice, Aesthetic Offerings, Display Bowls, Sharing of Blessings, Alms-giving, Medieval Religious History
Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, Research Scholar
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of History, National Dong Hwa University
In Chinese culture, the banquet (yànxiǎng)—beyond its outward display of sumptuous delicacies—constitutes a solemn ritual centered on li (propriety). It encompasses the arrangement of vessels, the pacing of offerings, and the moderation of consumption, all signifying order and discipline. This concept is equally evident in sacrificial rites to deities, where offerings vary according to the object of worship and the ritual setting. Throughout the ceremonial process, all presented offerings are first “displayed but not consumed”(陳設不食). Only after the rite concludes and the food is withdrawn are blessings distributed according to rank, achieving a shared feast between the divine and the human through Sharing of Blessings (分福). Yet how were the offerings for different sacrificial recipients established and standardized? What is the significance and transformation of these offerings throughout the ritual process? Moving beyond previous discussions of “the raw and thecooked,” this paper examines the ritual functions of sacrificial offerings through the lenses of ornamentality, edibility, and distributability. Under the theme of “Feast as Sacrifice,” it explores its historical origins, development, and meaning, thereby illustrating the human-divine relationships and cosmic order embedded within Chinese sacrificial culture. Drawing on historical texts from the Han-Wei to Song dynasties, this study first examines the institutionalization of Chinese sacrificial feast culture, tracing the origins of “banquet-based” rituals and the composition of offerings. It then observes how Buddhist and Taoist fasting ceremonies (zhai 齋) distinguish celestial realms, underworld domains, and local deities through altar arrangements and offering types. The resulting practices of distributing food (shishi 施食) and bestowing blessings (sanfu 散福) illustrate the interplay between the edibility of offerings and ritual procedures.
Keywords: Non-Consumptive Display, Blood Sacrifice, Aesthetic Offerings, Display Bowls, Sharing of Blessings, Alms-giving, Medieval Religious History