许其正：海祭

海浪的起落，好似白色的马鬃翻飞，高高低低，十分壮观。（Fotolia）

海祭正进行着。就在海边沙滩上。

此刻，天色阴霾，微显燥热，苍穹有着大块大块乌云，展布四面八方，虽然无雨，却给人一种悲愁、忧郁和不快之感。向海的方向，海在天之下，和天相对应着，从极远的海天相连相混的地方，向沙滩直扑而来。那是一块蔚蓝的超大型地毯，顺着距离的远近，其蔚蓝的深度也向沙滩的方向逐步递减，由深篮而浅蓝而灰蓝。靠近沙滩的地方，因为此时风力不大，海浪只是不住地来回徘徊着，发出低微的响声，像是喃喃自语，说梦话，低吟浅唱，和情人低低切切地诉说衷曲……其实最贴切的许是说口吐白沫不停地痛苦呻吟吧。

“祈求海神和祖先们多多保佑我们，大家平安健康，渔获丰硕……”不管是主祭是陪祭，不论是男是女，拈了香的也罢，没拈香的也行，这是每一个人的祷词，殷切的期盼。它们可能从人们的口中说出来，也可能诉说在他们的内心深处。

“安息吧！”这是每个人心中对遭遇海难不幸者的慰语。和他们的祷词期盼一样，可能已经说了出来，也可能诉说在他们内心深处。

就整个地球来说，海域面积本来就大，占了百分之七十以上，远大于陆地很多，其蕴藏的资源，包括鱼类和矿产，其丰富的程度想当然必定远远超过陆地很多，可任人取之不尽，用之不竭。虽说“近山靠山，近海靠海”；但是，把陆地和海域各自所拥有的面积和资源相比较，再笨的人都知道，与其耕田不如耕海，与其种地不如讨海。只是事实上大家却多耕田而少耕海，种地而少讨海。为什么？主要原因乃是陆地上较平稳，危险性少，海域却不平稳，恒常摇摆不定，人在其上，即使乘船，仍如浮萍，无根地在海上飘摇，平常就这样了，何况遭遇情况？譬如遭遇台风，遭遇海啸，那时波涛便要汹涌不已，有时声震天地，浪高好几丈，超过好几层楼，人在船上，别说一般人，即使是老船员，都要被摇晃震荡颠簸得昏沈不适，甚至死去活来，呕吐不禁，连胆汁都呕吐出来，至于因此而触礁沉船，多少人因此丧命，多少夫妻因此被拆散，多少和乐家庭因此被破坏，令人见之闻而心惊胆颤，委顿觳觫。

人在怒海之前，真是倍觉渺小，无能为力，只能够徒叹无奈。显然讨海要比在陆地上讨生活会辛苦危险太多。那是拿人的生命去拼的！渔获是不确定的，海难也是不确定的。是船遭遇了台风、暴雨、海啸，碰触了暗礁？还是雾太浓迷失了航道？……都有可能。人总是把想不通的或不确定的归诸鬼神，“赖”上鬼神。这是宗教之所以形成的主要原因。越是危险的地方庙宇越多，理由就在这里。常见山里和海边庙宇比一般平地多，主要不外是这道理。海边渔村庙宇之多则常常冠于整个寰宇。

海祭之由来，主要也是渔获和海难的不确定性，令人忧虑惊恐。

于是，海祭呈现了：焚香、祭拜、追念、祈祷、相扑、牵罟……许是气氛肃穆，许是舒缓心情，许是锻炼身体，许是熟练技能……工程或许浩大，也或许“劳师动众”，也或许“繁文缛节”；其实还是象征意义较大，简而言之，不外在超度遭遇海难不幸者的亡魂，使能获得安息，祈求海神和祖先们多多保佑大家平安健康，渔获丰硕……。

“安息吧！”这是人们的祷词，殷切的期盼，飘浮在他们的心中，也飘浮在各处空间，像沙滩外海浪所发出低低的微响：“祈求海神和祖先多多保佑大家平安健康，渔获丰硕……。”

随着时光的流逝，暮色渐次来临，苍穹中的乌云和暝色同步而行，越来越浓，把大地和海面淹没，把海祭淹没……

Hold a Memorial Ceremony for the Sea Hsu ChiCheng

The memorial for sea is progressing. It’s on the sandy beach.
At this moment, it’s cloudy the sky, and dry and hot, the clouds spread on the sky a block after a block, unfold far and near, though it’s no rain, but it delivers the feeling of sad, gloomy and unhappy. Looking toward the direction of the sea, the sea is located under the sky, corresponds to the sky, pounces on the sandy beach from the place of extreme far which connects with sea and sky. It’s a piece of super blue carpet follows the distance, the depth of the blue is also gradually decrease toward the sandy beach, from deep blue to light blue and grey blue. Near the sandy beach, due to the feeble of the wind, the spray just strolls to and fro ceaselessly, sends off low and small sound, likes murmur, somniloquy, recites in low voice, expresses the heartfelt emotion with low and deep voice…in fact, the appropriate may be a moan froth at the mouth ceaselessly with agony.
“Wishing the sea god and ancestors bless us, let us safe and health, crop in fishing…” no matter he is the officiate at funeral or accompany, no matter he is the male or female, may incense or no, this is the words of prayer of everyone, the ardent hope of every one. They may say from the mouth, may tell within the depth of their inner heart.
“Be rest!” This is the word of console every one in his inner heart to the person who meets the misfortune of marine perils. This is the same word of prayer, may they tell, and also tell within their inner hearts.
As far as the earth, the sea area is larger originally, above 70%, is far lager than land for many times, enclosed the fish and mineral reserves the resources it contains as it should be the level is surely larger far beyond than on the land quite a lot, be inexhaustible in supply and always available for use. Though we say “rely to the mountain as near the mountain, rely the sea as near the sea”; but, we compare with area and resources of the land and sea area, whoever will knows whatever how foolish he is that, it’s better for you to plow the sea than to plow the field, it’s better to ask the sea for you to plant the land. But in fact we all plow the field and less to plow the sea, to plant the land and less to ask the sea. Why? The most important reason is that it’s more stable on the land, less danger, the sea area is unstable, always blow hot and cold, a person on board, floating on the sea likes a duckweed rootless, is usually, let alone to meet the special circumstance? For example, to meet typhoon, to meet tsunami, the breakers surging incessantly, some times the sound of the exploding shakes whole the world, the wave high raises onto several layers, surpasses several floors, a person on board even the old sailor, let alone ordinary person, will feel terribly dizzy and not comfortable from swaying and shaking and jolting, even dead nearly, can no help vomiting, even spits out the bile, till bumps into the submerged reef and sinking the ship therefore, how many persons will be lost their life, how many married couples will be broken therefore, how many harmony families will be destroyed therefore, let’s tremble with fear on hearing it, listless and shiver.
In front of the raging sea, a person is truly tiny, can not do anything to help, just sigh in vain. It’s apparently that to ask the sea is more toilsome and danger than to ask life on the land. It’s to make a desperate fight! The crop in fishing is uncertain, and also the misfortune of marine. Is the ship meet with the typhoon, rainstorm, tsunami, bump into the submerged reef? Or is the ship lost its voyage because of the fog is too dense? …all are possible. We always shameless the god or ghost to be blamed while we meet the thing which we can’t know or ascertain. This is the main cause the religion is formed. The reason is here: the more the danger the more the temple. We often view that the temple at the area of mountain and sea side are more than the area of flat ground, the reason is this primary factor. The temples at the fishing villa often crowns whole the world.
The origin of the memorial ceremony for the sea, mainly is the thing which we can’t know or ascertain, makes us worry and fear.
So, the memorial ceremony for the sea appears: burn incense, worship, commemorate, pray, sumo, pull net…may severe in air, may unfold frame of mind, may physical exercise, may skilled craft…The construction work may grand, may waste so much cow and money, may prolix style and hackneyed rites; in fact, it’s greater in the meaning of the symbolic meaning, in short, not beyond to expiate the sins of the dead who meets the misfortune of marine perils, let them be rest, Wishing the sea god and ancestors bless all of us safe and health, crop in fishing…
“Rest!” This is the words of the pray, ardent expectation, floating in their mind, and also floating every space, likes the feeble sound of the spray outside the sandy beach:” Wishing the sea god and ancestors bless all of us safe and health, crop in fishing…”
Follows the passes of the time, the twilight comes slowly, the clouds and the dusk march together, more and more dense, cover the earth and sea surface, cover the memorial ceremony for the sea…