永不凋谢的“酥油花”

李立欣

酥油是中国人喜爱的食物，也是食物加工中不可或缺的油脂之一，可用来加工糖果、制作面包和蛋糕等。那么，用酥油制作的酥油花也是食品吗？不是，它是永不凋零的“鲜花”，是青海省塔尔寺奉献给世界的艺术珍品。

Butter is a beloved food in China and an essentialingredient in food processing， used to make candies，bread， cakes， and so on. So， is a butter sculpture madefrom butter considered food too？ No， it is a flowerthat will never fade， an artistic treasure offered to theworld by Ta’er Monastery （also known as KumbumMonastery） in Qinghai Province.

关于酥油花的起源，史书中没有明确的记载。据传说，人们用酥油花来代替鲜花作为敬奉佛祖的供品。

There is no clear historical record of the origin ofbutter sculptures. According to legend， people used butter sculptures as offerings to replace fresh flowersfor worshipping Buddha.

酥油分动物酥油和植物酥油，制作酥油花用的是动物酥油。酥油通常呈黄白色，在低温时呈凝固状，有很好的可塑性。随着酥油花制作技术日益成熟，艺僧们发现，白色酥油在颜色调和方面融合度更高，所以塔尔寺制作酥油花要求使用的酥油必须是纯白色的。

Butter can be divided into animal butter andvegetable butter， and butter sculptures are made fromanimal butter. Butter is typically yellowish-whiteand solidifies at a low temperature， making it highlymalleable. As butter sculpture-making techniquesmatured， the monks discovered that white butterhad better color blending properties. Therefore， Ta’erMonastery requires the use of pure white butter formaking butter sculptures.

塔尔寺精致细腻的酥油花完全是手工制作。寺里的僧人从学习制作酥油花那天开始，便终身从艺。因为酥油在15℃时会变形，25℃左右会融化，所以在制作酥油花的过程中，要分分秒秒留意温度的变化。酥油花的制作一般需要三个月的时间，且通常是在青海冬季最寒冷的时节。为了避免体温融化酥油，艺僧们的双手必须不时地浸泡在刺骨的冰水中，或抓握冰块，以始终保持双手冰凉。所以酥油花的制作是对艺僧们身体和技艺的双重挑战。正是这一双双巧手，才让酥油绽放出精美绝伦的“酥油花”。

The exquisite butter sculptures at Ta’er Monasteryare entirely handmade. Monks in the monastery arecommitted to a lifelong profession the day they beginto learn the craft. Because butter becomes malleable at15°C and melts at around 25°C， precise temperaturecontrol is crucial during the butter sculpture-makingprocess. Making a butter sculpture typically takes threemonths and is usually done during the coldest wintermonths in Qinghai. To prevent body heat from meltingthe butter， the monks’ hands must be periodicallysoaked in icy water or the monk must hold ice cubes tokeep them ice-cold. Thus， making butter sculptures isa dual challenge to the monks’ physical endurance andartistic skill. It’s the skilled hands of these monks thatbring forth the exquisite “butter flowers.”

塔尔寺设立了两个专门制作酥油花的机构—“上花院”和“下花院”。两个花院相互竞争，也相互借鉴，不断推陈出新。酥油花的题材和内容非常广泛，涉及佛经故事、历史人文、民间传说以及丰富多彩的现代生活。庄严神圣的佛像、形神兼备的人物、风景秀美的山水、美輪美奂的亭台楼阁、形象逼真的飞禽走兽、细腻传神的花卉树木等，都在艺僧们的手上灵动展现，栩栩如生。酥油花的尺寸从小不盈寸到高至数米不等，雕塑手法从单塑到立塑和浮塑相结合，再到单塑和组塑相结合，不断融入的科技元素让酥油花的制作工艺更加精湛。

Ta’er Monastery has established two specializedinstitutions for making butter sculptures， the “UpperWorkshop” and the “Lower Workshop.” These twoworkshops constantly innovate by competing with andlearning from each other. The themes and content ofbutter sculptures are incredibly diverse， encompassingBuddhist stories， historical and cultural figures， folklegends， and a rich tapestry of modern life. Majesticand sacred Buddha statues， lifelike human figures，picturesque landscapes， exquisite pavilions， lifelikebirds and animals， and finely detailed flowers andtrees， all come to life in the hands of the monks. Buttersculptures vary in size from one inch to several meterstall， and the sculpting techniques range from singlesculpting to a combination of relief and dimensionalsculpting， and then to a combination of single andgroup sculpting. The incorporation of evolvingtechnologies makes the craftsmanship of buttersculpture even more exquisite.

酥油花使用的顏料与众不同，主要是矿物染料，是用各色宝石和其他珍贵原料研磨而成的：红色源自玛瑙，绿色取自翡翠，白色来自珍珠，黄色出自黄金，蓝色来自孔雀石，黑色则取自地下深处的木炭……这些从名山大川中获取的天然颜料，与洁白的酥油融合成绚烂的色彩，经由金粉、银粉勾勒之后，永不褪色，让酥油花精美绝伦。

The pigments used in butter sculptures areunique， primarily mineral dyes ground from variousprecious materials： red comes from carnelian， greenfrom jade， white from pearls， yellow from gold， bluefrom turquoise， and black from deep undergroundcharcoals. These natural pigments， obtained frommountains and rivers， are blended with the purewhite butter to create brilliant colors. After beingoutlined with gold and silver powders， theseeverlasting colors create extraordinarily beautifulbutter sculptures.

每年农历正月十五，代表中国酥油花制作技艺最高水准的塔尔寺酥油花如约展出。在僧人乐队的伴奏下，清幽婉转的音乐在展厅回荡，人们在祈福的同时，满眼尽是精彩纷呈的酥油花，那是一场令人过目难忘的视觉盛宴！

Every year on the 15th day of the first lunar month， Ta’er Monastery showcases its butter sculptures， representingthe highest level of butter sculpture-making craftsmanship in China. Accompanied by the music of the monkorchestra， the serene and melodious tunes fill the exhibition hall. People， while offering prayers， are surrounded by adazzling array of exquisite butter sculptures. What an unforgettable visual feast！