There is a place in Africa where the deep green lazy water of the peaceful Zambezi River plunges headlong 100 meters down into wet granite gorges. In the process it forms one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

在非洲某處，深綠色的贊比西河水洶涌澎湃地直瀉100米然后跌落在潮濕的玄武巖峽谷。在這個過程中它形成了世界七大自然奇跡之一。

The sound of the water as it succumbs to the laws of gravity pummels your senses. Locals call it Mosi-oa-Tunya， meaning \"the smoke that thunders.\" It's an endless roar beyond the measure of decibels， which is never ending. This is nature in its purest form. Raw， unabridged and beautiful in its anger.

由于重力原因奔騰的流水發(fā)出巨大的轟鳴聲奪走你所有的感覺。當(dāng)?shù)厝朔Q之為莫西奧圖尼亞，意思是“聲若雷鳴的雨霧”。咆哮聲震耳欲聾、無邊無盡。這是大自然最純粹的原始形態(tài)。自然、完整、美麗。

Victoria Falls is not just something you look at， it's something you feel.

維多利亞瀑布不僅僅是一道賞心悅目的自然風(fēng)景，更是一種透徹心扉的感覺。

\"Officially\" discovered by British explorer David Livingstone in the 1860s in northwest Zimbabwe， he named the falls Victoria after his queen. Today this awesome spectacle is officially listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the continent's greatest drawcards.

19世紀(jì)60年代，英國探險家大衛(wèi)#8226;利文斯頓在津巴布韋的西北部“正式”發(fā)現(xiàn)了這個瀑布，并以女皇維多利亞為它命名。如今，這個雄偉壯麗的奇觀已經(jīng)被官方列為聯(lián)合國世界遺產(chǎn)和大陸最偉大的“名片”之一。

World's Largest Curtain of Water

世界最大的水簾

Livingstone said the sight was so lovely， that angels must have stopped in their flight to have a look. It's almost impossible to disagree with him. A walk through the tropical rain forest that grows perennially around the Falls， necessitates a raincoat and umbrella， as the spray thrown up by the water falling， rises for almost 200 meters above the gorge and can be seen kilometers away. A wet and often slippery pathway cuts through the thick vegetation， interspersed by fig， mahogany and date palm groves and follows the edge of the gorge for an unrestricted view of nature at work. Standing before the worlds largest curtain of water and watching the sunshine create rainbows through the spray， becomes a spiritual experience to many visitors. The ground below your feet vibrates as 550，000 cubic meters of water takes the leap every minute along a stretch of gorge break 1708 meters long. You have to shout at the top of your voice to be heard， but this is not a time to talk， it's more about absorbing the moment. A fault in the gorge line on the side of the main falls produces the aptly named Devil's Cataract， a viciously fast flowing stream， awesome in its power and hypnotic to watch. Forget about Niagara and Iguazu Falls， this rush in front of you is in a league of its own.

利文斯頓贊嘆維多利亞瀑布是如此美麗，以至于天使都會忍不住駐足欣賞。沒有人會否認(rèn)他的話，維多利亞瀑布的美已經(jīng)深入骨髓。步行穿過瀑布四周古老的熱帶雨林，一定要帶上雨衣或者一把傘，因為落在峽谷的水流濺起的飛沫足有200米高，在幾千公里外就可以看見。橫穿過滿是無花果、桃花心木、海棗等厚重植被的灌木叢里的山徑，又濕又滑，而沿著峽谷邊沿則可以將無邊的自然風(fēng)光盡收眼底。世界最大的“水簾”在你面前熠熠生輝，陽光傾瀉在水霧上反射的彩虹橫跨天際，這對游客來說是一種巨大的精神愉悅。而腳下的大地被1708米深的斷裂谷處每分鐘55萬立方米的水流激蕩著。正常的談話在這里可行不通，你必須大聲地叫喊才能聽見，真是太神奇了。在主瀑布峽谷沿線斷層處造就了一個恰如其名的瀑布——“魔鬼瀑”，水流湍急、氣勢磅礴、讓人不敢直視。別提什么尼亞加拉瀑布和伊瓜樹瀑布，你面前的這湍急流就足夠了。

Today， the same feeling that captured the imagination of explorers， hunters and missionaries， the thrill seekers of the 19th Century， grips the imagination of modern tourists， but for many， they come for more than just the thundering waterfall.

如今，俘獲了19世紀(jì)的冒險家——探險家、探求者以及傳教士所有想象的感覺，也抓住了現(xiàn)代旅行者的遐思幻想，但大部分游客還是為了這奔騰的瀑布而來。

Adrenalin Rush for Extreme Sports Fans

極限運動

Some say the human ego appears to have taken its cue from the force of falling water and the area is now billed as the adrenaline capital of Africa.

有人說人類的自信是來自于瀑布的巨大沖擊力，這個地區(qū)也被列為非洲腎上腺素上升的最高峰。

Leading the extreme sports influx is the white water rafting in the frothing rapids of the Zambezi River below Victoria Falls. Internationally acclaimed as being the wildest water ride in the world， the rapids are classified by the British Canoe Union as Grade 5 - \"extremely difficult， long and violent rapids， steep gradients， big drops and pressure areas\". Rapids have names like The Mother， Terminator and Oblivion， and if that doesn't prepare you for fast and furious action in the washing machine of white water， you must have nerves of steel. Prepare to spend a lot of time in the water. Its high volume but fortunately this part of the river has little exposed rock， either in the rapids or the pools below the rapids. At the end of the run， you get to scramble up the side of the gorge to enjoy a cold beer on top and contemplate how you're going to be telling this story to anyone who'll listen.

最主要的極限運動集中在維多利亞瀑布下湍急的贊比西河上洶涌的浪花。國際上公認(rèn)為世界上最寬的水流，而英國獨木舟協(xié)會將它的水流速評為5級——“異常難克服、綿長、兇猛的急流，陡坡，大落差和壓力區(qū)”。這湍急流被冠以各種各樣的名稱，比如母親、終結(jié)者和湮滅，如果你沒有對象洗衣機里那種激烈的漩渦做好心理準(zhǔn)備的話，那面臨真正的瀑布急流時你就需要極大的勇氣。而且還要做好長時間浸泡在水里的準(zhǔn)備。還有巨大的水流轟鳴聲，不過幸運的是這里沒有什么礁石，也沒有什么暗流和險灘等等。在這段極限運動結(jié)束時，你可以攀上峽谷的一邊，在那里盡情享受冰啤酒以及慢慢考慮怎么和別人來炫耀下這段刺激的經(jīng)歷。

Hot on the heels of the foaming fury is the now legendary bunji jumping off the Victoria Falls Bridge that provides a rail link between Zimbabwe and Zambia. The bridge spans 152 meters and was originally built in the UK and then shipped out and reassembled in 1905. Today it is where bunji jumpers from across the world come to test themselves. While not the highest jump in the world at 116 meters， unlike the others， here thrill seekers throw themselves down into a gorge of serrated rocks. This is a leap of faith and definitely separates the men from the boys.

而在那些洶涌浪花上的極限運動后就是傳說中的蹦極——從維多利亞大橋所提供的一條連接津巴布韋和贊比亞的鐵軌上跳下來。這座大橋橫跨152米，最先在英國建立，然后運出，在1905年修葺。如今來自世界各地的蹦極愛好者蜂擁至此來挑戰(zhàn)自我。盡管世界上最高的蹦極距離不是116米，但不同于其它，這里的探險者是將自己置身于滿是突出巖石的峽谷。因此從某種意義上來說，這是一個關(guān)于信念和能者居之的一跳。

A recent addition to the high action water sports is river surfing， which involves literally surfing the rapids on body boards. You get a crash course in riverboarding skills and are let loose to play in the Zambezi. Just to be on the safe side a qualified river guide comes along to keep an eye on you. For those who like a little more spice in their action， try riding the \"whirlies\" and \"squirts\" along the way， vicious sections of water that have a life of their own.

沖浪是最近新興的一個水上運動，顧名思義也就是在急流上行駛的小船沖浪。首先你會接受一個水上沖浪相關(guān)知識的速成班，然后就是全身放松地投入贊比西河。當(dāng)然為了安全起見，要有一個經(jīng)驗豐富的水上教練在旁邊看護。對于那些想要更刺激更有情趣點的人就會試圖選擇那些滿是“漩渦”和“湍流”的路線區(qū)域，這些“可怖”的水上“陷阱”確實會讓你享受一次真正的人生。

For bragging purposes， or sources of embarrassment， your escapades are filmed and photographed.

無論是為了吹牛炫耀或者是尷尬困窘，你的這些異常行為都會被攝影錄制或者拍照留念。

Kayaking and fishing lovers fear not. The river is home to 39 species of fish below the falls and 89 species above it.

皮艇和釣魚愛好者也不用擔(dān)心。瀑布下是39種魚的原產(chǎn)地，而瀑布之上共有89種魚。

Varied Attractions to Captivate

萬有引力

The small town of Victoria Falls offers every kind of accommodation from budget camping to five star splendor， none more so than the renowned Victoria Falls Hotel， locally referred to as the \"Grand old lady\". It is probably still the world's best example of all the opulence and grand style that went with colonial life， despite needed a touch up in some of its furnishings. But it wears the touches of age like a badge of honor， rather than a distraction to visitors. Built in 1904 when the Cape to Cairo railway dream of diamond baron Cecil John Rhodes reached the Falls， the hotel's magnificent Edwardian architecture has seduced royal families， international and local statesmen， and celebrities from around the world for over 100 years. The corridors still reflect all the past glories of the former British Empire. Traditional high tea is served every afternoon on the hotel's terrace， with spectacular views of the Victoria Falls Bridge down the Batoka Gorge shrouded in spray rising from all directions.

維多利亞瀑布小鎮(zhèn)有各式各樣、價格不均的住宿條件，從便宜劃算的野營帳篷到豪華的五星級酒店，但最為出名的莫過于享譽海內(nèi)外的維多利亞瀑布旅館了，當(dāng)?shù)厝朔Q之為“貴婦人”?？赡苓@也是世界上從殖民地時代發(fā)展而來的奢侈華麗建筑的最好典范，盡管一些室內(nèi)裝飾設(shè)備還需再潤色一下。但它長久以來備受游客的尊敬，而非僅僅是一個娛樂場所。1904年從開普敦到開羅的鐵路承載著塞西爾#8226;約翰#8226;羅德斯的鉆石夢來到了瀑布，旅館獨特的愛德華時期建筑一百年多年來吸引了無數(shù)皇族貴胄、國內(nèi)外的政客、社會名流。綿延曲折的走廊依然輝映著往昔大英帝國時期的榮耀。從旅店的陽臺上，可以看見維多利亞橋橫跨峽谷、在四濺的水花中若隱若現(xiàn)的壯麗景象，并且在全方位欣賞美景的同時你還可以享受美味的下午茶。

You can reach the falls from the hotel via a 10-minute walk along a path that begins on the hotel grounds. If you're staying elsewhere in town there is no need for guides， as the falls can be reached on foot and at your leisure - well-marked paths and many viewing points make the job easy. It's impossible to get lost， just follow the noise of the water!

沿著旅館旁的小路去瀑布只需10分鐘。如果你在鎮(zhèn)子里，那么無需任何向?qū)憧梢噪S意四處閑逛都能夠到達瀑布——易識別的道路和很多指示牌使得認(rèn)路再簡單不過，而且順著瀑布的轟鳴聲，迷路的可能性微乎其微。

As the area borders the Zambezi National Park， which runs 40 km along the Zambezi River， game drives are available on request from the local safari tours， with sightings of impala antelope， banded mongoose， warthogs， buffalo and even elephants not uncommon. Baboons are a common sight all over the area.

這里臨近沿著贊比西河綿延40公里的贊比西國家公園，根據(jù)當(dāng)?shù)芈眯嘘牭男枨蟾浇泻芏嗦糜斡^光車，帶你進行“叢林追擊”，在這里，放眼望去都是黑斑羚、非洲貓鼬、疣豬還有大象。狒狒更是常見的動物了。

Some of these find their way onto the menus in many of the restaurants， where barbeques (or braais as they are called here) are most popular. Apart from the usual beef steaks， sink your teeth into crocodile， warthog， impala antelope and ostrich steaks all washed down with a bottle of Zimbabwe Pinotage or a frosty Castle Lager. The smell from fresh game meat sizzling on the grill， a setting fireball sun and the laughter of friends make these dinners unforgettable.

有些動物你能夠在飯店的菜單上看見它們的身影，在這里烤肉非常盛行（當(dāng)?shù)厝艘步凶鯾raais），除去平常的牛肉之外，你還可以一嘗少見的鱷魚肉、疣豬肉、黑斑羚肉和鴕鳥肉，而這一切都會伴著一杯津巴布韋紅酒或者冰涼的城堡啤酒下咽，讓人回味無窮。新鮮的野味在烤架上嗞嗞作響，散發(fā)著誘人的香味，晴空中的太陽吐著烈焰，朋友們的歡聲笑語，這畫面已經(jīng)深深地鐫刻在腦海中，難以忘懷。

A large Craft Village in the Victoria Falls town offers visitors the chance to pick up souvenirs， have your hair braided and watch traditional African dancing in the evenings that include the amazing feats of the Makishi Tribe， who dance on stilts and scare the wits out of children with their hideous looking masks. There is even a village Shaman in residence who will throw the bones and tell you your fortune， after consulting his spiritual ancestors. He can sometimes be alarmingly accurate， as many can attest.

游客可以在維多利亞瀑布小鎮(zhèn)上的工藝村購買紀(jì)念品，還有綁好你的頭發(fā)，觀看夜晚的傳統(tǒng)非洲舞蹈，其中包括最具名族特色的Makishi舞——表演者動作夸張，踩著高蹺，帶上讓孩子驚恐不已的面具。這里還有一個薩滿村，他們會在祭奠“咨詢”過精神上的先人用骨卜（通過扔在地上的動物的骨骼所形成的圖像或顯現(xiàn)的正反面來推測未來之吉兇禍福）來給你算命。神奇的是，有許多可以證實的預(yù)言常常準(zhǔn)確無誤。

Reality bites

現(xiàn)實之惘

Visitors will not be able to avoid the hundreds of local touts trying desperately to peddle their carvings， organize tours， change money and generally harass visitors， but that's part of the experience around any world famous site. Crafters often try to exchange their artwork for visitors' shoes or shirts. Signs of sheer desperation from people doing daily battle for survival in a country so often in the world's headlines for all the wrong reasons. With the Zimbabwe dollar basically worthless most transactions in Victoria Falls are conducted in U.S. dollars.

游客們無法避免地會碰上那些歇斯底里的小販，他們拼命地兜售工藝品、組織旅行團、交換貨幣、還有就是騷擾游客，但這是世界上任何一個著名景點都會有的現(xiàn)象。這里的工匠們會用自己的藝術(shù)品來交換游客們的寫字或者襯衫。城市中日夜為生存而奔波忙碌的人們身上散發(fā)出絕望的氣息，這成為在世界上各大報刊頭條常見的專屬壞消息。而維多利亞瀑布周邊的市場交易早已被美元控制，津巴布韋貨幣一文不值。

While Zimbabwe has traditionally been the destination from which to view Victoria Falls， about 10 years ago the Zambian side of the Falls began developing their own tourist facilities and is now competing directly with Zimbabwe for tourist share. The town of Livingstone on the Zambian side， still lined with Victorian colonial style buildings， is adjacent to the falls and the Royal Livingstone Hotel provides luxury accommodation there. From Livingstone the Falls can be reached by the constant stream of taxis and minibuses. The two countries are connected by a border post， which is easy to cross and officials can issue day passes， which eliminates the need of applying for visas. The border is open from 8 am to 6 pm.

長久以來津巴布韋就是那些對維多利亞瀑布充滿向往的人的目的地，而十年前瀑布附近的贊比亞人就在謀劃發(fā)展旅游設(shè)施，現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)開始和津巴布韋爭奪旅游市場。而贊比亞境內(nèi)接近瀑布的利文斯頓仍然保留著大量的維多利亞時期風(fēng)格建筑，還有皇家利文斯頓旅館的豪華住宿條件，更是吸引了大量的游客。從利文斯頓到瀑布可以乘坐計程車和小巴士。兩個國家交界處有一個很容易通過的邊界崗，而且官方發(fā)行的“日卡”消除了申請護照的麻煩。邊界從開放時間為早上8點到下午6點。

For all the other attractions on offer around Victoria Falls， the roar that follows you wherever you go within a 5 km radius of this natural wonder is a constant reminder why you came. Any other natural sights you ever see after this will fade into a distant second place.

維多利亞附近還有很多有意思的景點，而這個大自然的奇跡——方圓5千米以內(nèi)都如影隨形的水嘯聲將始終提醒著你來這里的真正目的。而其它你看見的景點都會在這震撼心扉的自然奇跡面前漸行漸遠(yuǎn)，消褪了色彩，退居第二。

Things to do:

特別推薦：

A flight or helicopter ride over the Falls， called \"The Flight of the Angels\" offers amazing views and is great for photographs.

在瀑布上方會有飛機或者直升機，稱為“天使之翼”，從上俯瞰不僅會看見完全不同的美景也適合拍出絕佳的照片。

Take the evening Sundowner Cruise， or Booze Cruise as the locals call it. It's a gentle ride in a double decker ferryboat on the Zambezi above the Falls. Sip a gin while watching the sun set over the river and look out for herds of elephant and other game on the riverbank. It doesn't get much better than this!

享受一下游輪上的暮后小酌或者像當(dāng)?shù)厝朔Q呼的那種游輪酒宴。這是在瀑布下贊比西河上的雙層渡船所進行的一種雅致巡游。夕陽西下，看著落日的余暉散在岸邊的象群及其它奔跑的生靈上，慢慢品一口杜松子酒，最大的幸福也莫過如此。

If you're lucky and you're there during a full moon， head for the rain forest at night and try to catch the lunar rainbow， a silver arc caused by the moonlight shining through the spray. Take someone special for a true moment of romance.

如果你足夠幸運正巧是滿月時節(jié)，那就可以在夜晚前去雨林尋找月虹！這是由于月光反射在四濺的水霧上所產(chǎn)生的銀色光暈。找個心儀之人來一起享受這個浪漫的時刻吧。

Have a picnic lunch on Kandahar Island in the middle of the Zambezi above the Falls. Picnics in Africa always have that element of adventure about them， and somehow the food always tastes so much better in the bush.

在瀑布下的贊比西河中的Kandahar島上來一次野餐吧。在非洲，野餐總帶著些冒險的意味，不知道為什么，野餐的食物也好像比在那些矮樹叢中的要美味得多。

Try your luck at Elephant Hills or Makhasa Sun Casinos with a wild spin of the dice.

Take an elephant ride through the Nakavango Wildlife Estate and experience real Africa from the back of the world's greatest beast.

The Victoria Falls Express vintage steam train offers historical train excursions to the Victoria Falls Bridge. Spectacular seems an understatement for the view from the bridge.

希望你在象山和Makhasa太陽娛樂城的骰子上還繼續(xù)保持好運吧。

騎著大象徜徉在Nakavango野生動植物園，從世界上最強壯的動物背上感受一下真正的非洲。

維多利亞瀑布古老的蒸汽列車帶你去維多利亞瀑布大橋進行一次歷史列車之旅，而從大橋上放眼望去的美景無需再形容了。

When to view Falls: While Victoria Falls is amazing the whole year round， the water flows over in March/May after the rainy season. Weather generally good all year round.

How to get there: Daily flights operate between Oliver Tambo Airport (Johannesburg， South Africa) to Victoria Falls Airport (Zimbabwe) and Livingstone Airport (Zambia). The flight is about 90 minutes in duration.

Things to remember: Keep foreign currency on hand (U.S. Dollar and British Pounds)， as this is needed to pay for entry to see the Falls and for things like white water rafting.

最佳旅游時間：維多利亞瀑布一年都適宜觀賞，水量在雨季后的三月到五月最充沛。氣候一年四季如春。

最佳旅行路線：每天都有從奧利弗國際機場（約翰內(nèi)斯堡，南非）到維多利亞瀑布機場（津巴布韋）和利文斯頓機場（贊比亞）的飛機。航行時間為90分鐘。

注意事項：因為要支付瀑布的門票以及其它一些像乘坐竹筏之類的活動，因此手邊要有現(xiàn)金（美元或者英鎊）。

Notes

1.cuts through

意為“抄近路穿過、開鑿”。而Cut-through指的是直通轉(zhuǎn)發(fā)技術(shù)適用與網(wǎng)絡(luò)鏈路質(zhì)量好的網(wǎng)絡(luò)環(huán)境。

例句：People cut a path through the jungle.

人們在叢林中開辟了一條路。

2. fast and furious

意為“（游戲、聚會、演出等）喧鬧活躍的”。在文中用來形容洗衣機中水流的劇烈。而著名電影《速度與激情》的英文名就是The Fast and the Furious。

3. separate the men from the boys

和sort out the men from the boys意思相同，意為“選出強者（能人）”。

4. crash course

意為“速成班”。

例句：I did a 15-week crash course in typing.

我參加了一個15周打字速成班。

5. be on the safe side

意為“不冒險、為求保險”。

6. at one's leisure

該短語和in one's spare time以及in one's free time意思相同。意為“有空時、閑暇時”。

例句：

He often plays piano at his leisure. (He often plays piano in his free time.)

他經(jīng)常在閑暇時彈鋼琴。

7. game drives

也叫g(shù)ame views，意為“乘游覽車到叢林中尋找和觀看野生動物”。

8. game meat

意為“野味肉”。

9. scare the wits out of children

意為“把某人嚇得要死”。

Links

1. Cecil John Rhodes塞西爾#8226;約翰#8226;羅得斯

塞西爾#8226;約翰#8226;羅得斯（1853-1902）是英國著名的金融家、投資家、政治家。年輕時因患肺病而移居南非，投靠哥哥的農(nóng)場。在十九世紀(jì)七十年代南非的鉆石開采浪潮中，他靠承包礦井抽水工程和買賣地產(chǎn)等投機手段致富，迅速成為南非資本家中的首富。1880年，羅得斯以 20萬英鎊資本創(chuàng)辦了德比爾斯礦業(yè)公司，大肆收購礦山土地。1888年，他在倫敦的羅思柴爾德財團支持下，合并另一家最大的金伯利中央礦業(yè)公司，成立德比爾斯統(tǒng)一礦業(yè)公司，壟斷了整個南非的金剛石生產(chǎn)，成為世界上最早的壟斷組織之一，同時也把礦業(yè)組織成當(dāng)時現(xiàn)代化程度最高的工業(yè)體系。羅得斯還在1887年成立英國南非公司，征服非洲中南部地區(qū)，建立了羅得西亞（今贊比亞和津巴布韋）殖民地。他還曾擔(dān)任開普殖民地總理。晚年設(shè)立了著名的羅得斯獎學(xué)金，向美國學(xué)生提供到牛津大學(xué)留學(xué)的機會。羅得斯是一個成功的商人，但是他更是一個野心勃勃的幻想家，對于他來說，金錢不過是有助于實現(xiàn)其所謂“神諭天命”的手段。對于羅得斯來說，上帝借他之手來實現(xiàn)的這個“天命”，就是日耳曼族——更確切地說是盎格魯撒克遜族的擴張，天意命定要英國國旗在全世界到處飄揚。在其遺囑中，羅得斯承認(rèn)關(guān)于設(shè)立羅得斯獎學(xué)金的最終目的，竟然是為了在美國學(xué)生中培養(yǎng)親英情緒，以便最終為大英帝國“收復(fù)”美國。

2. Shamanism薩滿教

薩滿教是原始宗教的一種晚期形式。反映出原始自發(fā)多神教向一神教的過渡，是北半球原始牧獵及農(nóng)耕文化中所特有的信仰現(xiàn)象。主要存在于亞洲和歐洲接近北極的地區(qū)，如西伯利亞和中國北方許多地區(qū)。另外，在土耳其和沃斯替亞克諸民族中亦有人信仰薩滿教。但有些學(xué)者認(rèn)為，美洲愛斯基摩人和印第安人的一些原始宗教實踐，其性質(zhì)也與薩滿教類似。薩滿教曾流行于中國北方阿爾泰語系各民族，如通古斯語族的滿族、鄂溫克族、鄂倫春族、赫哲族、錫伯族，突厥語族的維吾爾族、哈薩克族、柯爾克孜族，以及蒙古語族的蒙古族和達斡爾族等。由于薩滿教并無自身固定的社團組織、信仰體系及活動場所，所以亦有人認(rèn)為它并非確定的宗教形態(tài)而是一種原始宗教中普遍存在的法術(shù)實踐；還有人稱其為薩滿信仰或跳神巫教，以與一般原始宗教相區(qū)別。

薩滿教一詞源自西伯利亞Manchu-Tungus族語的saman，經(jīng)由俄語而成英語之shaman，shaman指從事薩滿技術(shù)的薩滿師，Shamanism則由研究的學(xué)者所起，所謂薩滿教并非指某種特定的宗教或信仰，而是凡具薩滿經(jīng)驗和薩滿行為的通稱。在Tungus族語的saman一字中，sa意指知道（to know），shaman按文字表面意義來說就是知者（he who knows），所以稱知者，意謂薩滿教是一種獲得知識的方式。也說薩滿一詞源自通古斯語Jdam man，意指興奮的人、激動的人或壯烈的人，為薩滿教巫師即跳神之人的專稱，也被理解為這些氏族中薩滿之神的代理人和化身。

薩滿一般分為職業(yè)薩滿和家庭薩滿，前者為整個部落、村或屯之薩滿教的首領(lǐng)，負(fù)責(zé)全族跳神活動；后者則是家庭中的女成員，主持家庭跳神活動。薩滿教的主要宗教儀式即跳神活動，以薩滿為核心來組織進行，通過薩滿邊跳邊念、進入一種昏沉恍惚或醉迷顛狂狀態(tài)而與神相通，以達到為本族或本家消災(zāi)避禍、趕鬼治病、求子求福、許愿還愿等目的。

基本信仰

靈魂觀念：薩滿教的思想基礎(chǔ)是相信萬物有靈和靈魂不滅，認(rèn)為世人有3魂，即生命之魂（斡仁）、思想之魂（哈尼）、轉(zhuǎn)生之魂（法加庫）。

神靈觀念：薩滿教常賦予火、山川、樹木、日月星辰、雷電、云霧、冰雪、風(fēng)雨、彩虹和某些動物以人格化的想象和神秘化的靈性，視為主宰自然和人間的神靈。特別是由祖先亡靈所形成的鬼神觀念以及人間的各種疾病與死亡造成的恐懼，是薩滿教神靈觀念的核心。

三界觀念：他們將宇宙分上、中、下三界，即上界(天上神靈所居)、中界(人間世人所處)和下界(陰間鬼魔及亡靈所在)只有巫師薩滿能通達上下兩界，疏通三界之事。

世界觀

萬物都是活的；萬物相系；萬物皆神圣。

定義特色

意識轉(zhuǎn)換；療愈能力。

主要崇拜

在其崇拜內(nèi)容上，薩滿教與原始自然崇拜、圖騰崇拜和祖先崇拜等有著許多相似之處。主要包括：自然崇拜、動物崇拜、祖神崇拜、偶像崇拜。

薩滿教在現(xiàn)代文化中的復(fù)興

薩滿教是一種古老的靈性修行，視自然為靈性和療愈的源泉，薩滿教并不曾在人類歷史上消失過，然而，薩滿教有意識地被更廣泛采用卻是發(fā)生在當(dāng)代的事。

薩滿之道主要在于強調(diào)與自然力量和諧相處，而非在于追求彼岸世界；

薩滿師可能在野外實行薩滿儀式，但仍會回到社會上，過同一般人一樣的社會生活；

現(xiàn)代的健全觀點重視身、心、靈三者同時健康，與薩滿的生命觀和療愈觀相通。

人們對非機構(gòu)化的宗教或靈性的渴求；

環(huán)境運動等等。

人類學(xué)家Piers Vitebsky稱這種時代性的薩滿教為新薩滿教（neo-shamanism），新薩滿教的體驗從輕微的意識轉(zhuǎn)變到深度的出神都包括在內(nèi)，超過了傳統(tǒng)薩滿教的定義，相對于傳統(tǒng)的薩滿教，新薩滿教可稱之為類薩滿（Pseudo-shamanism）。在人類歷史上，煉金術(shù)、異教和薩滿教是平行的三部曲，有不同的歷史軌道，但三者同樣都處在強調(diào)人類與自然之整體生命觀的整體論下，格外受到生態(tài)學(xué)新典范的重視。