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Ancestor Worship

Ancestor Worship. DHS China Seminar – Day 13. What is Ancestor Worship?. Group Discussion: What do you think ancestor worship is and what it consists of?. Were you right?.

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Ancestor Worship

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  1. Ancestor Worship DHS China Seminar – Day 13

  2. What is Ancestor Worship? • Group Discussion: What do you think ancestor worship is and what it consists of?

  3. Were you right? • Ancestor worship (also called ancestor veneration) is a ritual practice that is based on the belief that deceased family members have a continued existence, take an interest in the affairs of the world, and possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living. • Early forms of ancestor worship were deeply rooted and extensively developed by the Late Neolithic Period in China. • The goal of ancestor worship is to ensure the ancestors' continued well-being and positive disposition towards the living and sometimes to ask for special favors or assistance.

  4. Funerals • Rituals of ancestor worship most commonly consist of offerings to the deceased to provide for their welfare in the afterlife, which is envisioned as being similar to the earthly life. • Ancestor worship begins at the deceased kin's funeral, at which necessities like a toothbrush, comb, towel, shoes, water, or even a computer are placed in the coffin or burned as a sacrifice. • After the funeral, daily or twice-daily offerings are made to ensure the family member gets a good start in the afterlife.

  5. Funerals/Altars • Necessities and luxuries, like the deceased's favorite foods, wine, and small sums of money, are placed on the altar in bowls or burned in front of the altar. • The money is usually symbolic pieces of paper called "spirit money," not real bills. • Fruits and vegetables are the preferred foods for offerings; meats are avoided because of their association with killing. • Statues representing servants or other necessities for the afterlife are also placed on or near the altar. • Family members also bow in respect before the altar.

  6. Home Altar • After a family member's funeral, Chinese families set up a home altar for the purpose of ancestor worship. • The altar normally includes a portrait or photograph of the ancestor, a commemorative plaque and cups for offerings. • Altars are usually taken down after 49 days, the period during which the deceased is believed to be undergoing judgment. • After the 49-day period, the deceased is worshipped along with all the other ancestors of the family.

  7. Regular Ancestor Worship • After the home altar is taken down, the ancestors are believed to dwell in commemorative tablets. • Ancestral tablets are pieces of wood inscribed with the name and dates of the deceased. • They are kept in a small shrine at home and in the clan ancestral temple. • Incense is lit before the tablets daily and offerings of food and prostrations are presented twice a month. • Chinese weddings and funerals often include elaborate rituals honoring deceased family members. • Periodical rites are also performed at the family cemetery and ancestor worship is central to the annual Ghost Festival and Tomb Sweeping Festival.

  8. Source • All information adapted from: http://www.religionfacts.com/chinese_religion/practices/ancestor_worship.htm

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