苗栗縣後龍新蓮寺之信仰擴張與地方社會變遷

Abstract

本研究以族群關係、社群、地方社會等理論觀點為基礎，探討後龍新蓮寺之信仰擴張與地方社會變遷。 本研究運用田野調查及參與觀察，蒐集新蓮寺及其周邊信仰之歷史沿革及祭祀活動等相關資料，參與各儀式祭典，依祭祀圈指標，及祭祀社群觀念，劃出新蓮寺媽祖、北勢媽祖、天神爺、保生大帝、關帝爺等信仰所形成的祭祀範圍，從信仰的呈現了解當地社會之形成，以了解新蓮寺在其地方社會的意涵及其擴張之表現。 文中先探討後龍鎮新蓮寺自身的歷史變革及當代的發展轉變。其「山門內吃齋、山門外吃葷」的信仰模式，使此寺能吸收佛教信徒之餘，兼保有民間信仰的傳統性，並發展出獨有的昭君文化。新蓮寺運用媽祖遶境的動能性，一方面使得新蓮寺能維持原本與當地信仰天神良福、北勢媽祖、慈靈宮保生大帝、外獅潭五聖宮關帝爺等祭典活動的連結，另一方面使新蓮寺能往公廟化發展，整合地方社會。 同時，研究中發現，上述的這五神信仰，具有層疊、分化、整合、擴張等特性，其原由可追溯回閩、客漢人移墾的歷史及宗族、族群的發展，在地理及歷史發展過程中的這個地方社會，閩、客所結合成的社群，彼此間的關係也在層疊、分化、整合、擴張。另一方面，參與祭典的群體，是影響信仰範圍縮小或擴張之主因，使整個地方社會不斷地重新建構。

Based on the studies of ethnic relationship, worship community, and local society, this research aims to discuss the formation and changes of a local society, which locates at the junction of Houlong, Zaociao, and Touwu Townships. This study collects both the historical data and materials of the contemporary ritual activities of Sin-Lian Temple, and other related religious rituals via field research, document exploration and participant observation. According to the index of religious sphere and the concept of worship community, the worship spheres of Sin-Lian Temple’s Mazu, Bei-Shih’s Mazu, Heaven God, Bao-Sheng Da-Di, and Guangong are marked in this study. First, this study discusses the chronological transformation and the current renovation of Sin-Lian Temple itself. The unique worship pattern— abstinence from meat inside the gate of this Buddhist Temple, yet restriction-free outside the gate—attracts Buddhists, maintains the tradition of folk beliefs and develops its own Wang Zhao-Jun belief. The dynamic feature of Mazu Pilgrimage connects Sin-Lian Temple to other folk gods and therefore to the local society. Furthermore, this study discovers the characteristics of the folk gods, including growth, collision, integration, and expansion, which reflect and are able to be traced back to the history of the local society formed by Guangdong and Fujian immigrants. On the other hand, the worship community highly influences the magnitude of the religious sphere; therefore, the community compels the reconstruction of the local society.