Wulong Inn

Looking in the direction of Luo Shuyu's finger, Gao Fei only felt that as far as he could see, except for the huge crowd, there was only a thick and hugging giant tree standing not far away... Looking back suspiciously, Gao Fei Some couldn't figure out what Luo Shuyu was thinking.Just as he was about to ask a question, he saw that the other party walked quickly to the giant tree, jumped up, climbed up to the side of the tree, moved a few times flexibly, and stood firmly on a thicker branch.

After Luo Shuyu stabilized his figure, he squatted on the branch without any image at all.Looking down from the tree, he waved his hand at Gao Fei who was in a sluggish state, and he showed a rather contented smile.

Gao Fei was startled for a moment, and then understood the other party's intentions.Without him, 'it's just a matter of standing tall and looking far away'.Seeing that several people beside him were already eager to try, Gao Fei, who was afraid that someone else would take his good seat, immediately climbed up the tree.

Fortunately, he was also a playful when he was a child, and climbing trees was not a problem.As for this posture, of course it cannot be compared with the incomparably chic Luo Shuyu.However, for Gao Fei who only seeks results in everything, whether his posture looks good or not is really out of his consideration.

With some difficulty, he climbed to the thick branch where Luo Shuyu was, and Gao Fei automatically ignored the teasing in the opponent's eyes, and turned his gaze elsewhere.Looking out through the luxuriant leaves, one can see the scene of sacrifice in the distance. At this time, the sacrifice has not yet started, and there is no one on the square altar that has been arranged properly. I can only see that the altar is built next to the Xiaoqing River. Obviously, the object of this sacrifice is the water god.

Gao Fei is quite satisfied with the good vision.Looking back, Gao Fei raised his head inadvertently, my good guy, I saw several people laying down on the giant tree at a higher position with a better view.Noticing Gao Fei's gaze, the brothers above all showed him friendly smiles.

The people's enthusiasm for watching the excitement is really eternal.Returning the gift with a smile, Gao Fei sighed.

Not long after he sighed, he suddenly felt pain in his waist and eyes, but it was Luo Shuyu who bumped him with his elbow, indicating that the sacrificial ceremony had begun.Gao Fei immediately cheered up and looked towards the altar in the distance.

In fact, Gao Fei has always had a question in his mind.Speaking of which, the al-Adha ceremonies over the years are actually similar, and they come to participate in this almost identical ceremonies every year. Why are the people of Kaiyuan still so excited and happy?With this question in mind, Gao Fei began to watch the sacrificial process...

Where is the most disturbing part of this group activity?Too many people and noisy people will obviously be mentioned first. If you want to come to this large group of people to gather together, and there is no entertainment, it seems that there is nothing to pass the time except talking.At this time, the scene of the ceremony was in such a state. Looking from under the tree, people gathered in groups of three or four, whispering, talking and laughing, and the sound was extremely noisy.However, the chaotic sounds were suddenly interrupted by a sudden drumbeat.

Listen carefully, the sound of the drum is vast and far away, full of ancient rhyme, giving people a sense of majesty and solemnity.With the sound of the drum, the shouting and laughing in the crowd immediately disappeared, and for a while, there was only the rhythmic beating sound of the big drum around.

While everyone was holding their breath, they saw a tall figure stepping out of the crowd, walking slowly towards the altar.

Gao Fei looked intently, but saw that the rather tall guy was a healthy old man dressed in fancy clothes.It's a pity that Gao Fei couldn't see the opponent's face clearly because he was too far away.Although he didn't know the other person's demeanor and appearance, Gao Fei thought he could understand the calmness and composure revealed in the other person's demeanor, forged over the years.

However, the old man walked slowly to the altar. The moment he stepped onto the altar, the sound of the drum stopped abruptly. With the disappearance of the only sound source, the surroundings fell into a strange silence.The old man in fine clothes saluted everyone in the audience calmly, then turned and faced the altar on the side of the river bank.

After bowing down and saluting deeply into the running water, the old man got up and began to chant in a long and distant tone.Although Gao Fei couldn't hear what the other party was singing, he knew the general meaning. This is a minor tune handed down from the ancestors of Kaiyuan. It was specially composed to praise the gods of nature. For different gods, the lyrics and beats will be slightly different. Each time, the most respected elders elected by each township, party, prefecture and county will sing to express their admiration and reverence for the gods.

The old and long singing obviously greatly infected the people under the altar. Gao Fei found that even Luo Shuyu, who was usually idle, had a serious and respectful face at this time.It seems that this kind of worship that has been passed down for a long time is a kind of strength. Feeling the solemn and solemn atmosphere around, Gao Fei felt that he had found the reason why the people are very enthusiastic about this festival. The enthusiasm was not only aimed at the festival itself. , it incorporates the people's belief in the gods and their persistence in faith.

After the old man finished singing, he walked down the altar slowly.At this time, the drum sounded again, but this time the drum beat was exciting and smooth, which made people feel excited and high-spirited when they heard it.Accompanied by the sound of drums, seven burly men came from the side.They were all dressed in uniforms, striding up to the altar, or carrying all kinds of livestock on their shoulders or in their hands, and standing on the stage boldly, accepting everyone's attention.

Gao Fei knew that it was time to perform the "Ritual of the Seven Animals". To put it bluntly, the so-called "Ritual of the Seven Animals" was a kind of selection of fresh and fat cattle, sheep, Chickens, ducks, pigs, fish, and geese are sacrificed to the water god. This sacrifice has strict requirements on the size and weight of each offering, just to please the gods of all colors.

Seeing the seven animals tied with heavy stones, they were mercilessly thrown into the rapids by the brawny men. Seeing this, Gao Fei thought, "Is this the origin of the term 'drive animals'?"Hearing the miserable cry of the dying animal, Gao Fei felt that this sacrificial method was a bit too barbaric and primitive.Seeing that the seven livestock were submerged by the river, they disappeared.The ceremony also ended, and the seven strong men also retreated from the altar after saluting to the flowing water.Thus, the third part of the ritual, 'petition', began.

What is a 'petition'?The so-called "petition" is simply a ceremony in which the person presiding over the sacrifice represents the people and asks the gods for various wishes such as good weather, reduction of natural disasters, prosperity of the population, and abundant crops.When Gao Fei saw such a link in the book, he couldn't help but admire the reality of the Kaiyuan people.Think back to the entire sacrificial process, first use good words to make the gods feel comfortable, and then let them eat and drink enough through the sacrifice of livestock.At this time, I put forward my own request... Youdao listens to people's ears and takes others' hands short. Presumably this god who has listened to good words and took the whole sacrifice is embarrassed to refuse the request from his devout followers.

Gao Fei was thinking about who this 'representative of the petition' was, when he saw a fat man of medium build walking up to the altar according to Yiran, he was guessing who this luxuriously dressed guy was, so he listened to Luo Shuyu He whispered jokingly at the side: "This county magistrate is really fat."

After Gao Fei heard the words, he immediately stared at it, but the distance was too far away. Apart from being able to barely see the other person's figure and clothing, he really couldn't see anything else.Sighing with some regret, Gao Fei looked away resentfully.Thinking about it, he was afraid for a while that he would not be able to see the face of the county magistrate.I don't know what the other party said. Anyway, after a long and vague speech, the ceremony that lasted for most of the day finally came to an end.

In the distance that Gao Fei couldn't see, Mr. Qian put a manuscript in his sleeves, thinking in his heart that it was a good deal to accept that prince Zhan as his master, thinking that he was also good at official articles that praised him. , but it is not as good as the colorful flowers of Master Wang. I think the gods will not refuse the request wrapped in such good words.Thinking of this, Master Qian couldn't help but smile.

No matter what Mr. Qian was thinking, anyway, the official part of the sacrifice, the 'public sacrifice', was over. Although the public sacrifice was over, people were unwilling to leave just like this, because the private sacrifice by individuals had just begun.

The so-called "private sacrifice" is an activity in which people make wishes to the gods in private.Its form is not limited. If you have a big wish, you can offer a corresponding share of sacrifices. If you have no wish, you can also pray for yourself in the way of worship in the coming year.As a result, the solemn and quiet just now began to be replaced by various noises.

Luo Shuyu pushed Gao Fei who was still in a daze, and said loudly: "Get off the tree quickly, let's go and make a wish too."

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