Why worship ancestors? What does ancestor worship mean?

Ancestor Worship

In ancient times, this kind of custom was very popular. Due to the different etiquette and customs in different places, the forms of ancestor worship are also different. Some go to the wild to visit their ancestors' tombs, some go to the ancestral hall to worship their ancestors, and most of them place the ancestor's tablets in the main hall in sequence at home, display the offerings, and then the worshipers press the long The younger ones offer incense and kneel down in order. When the Han people worship their ancestors, they usually make fish and meat bowls, which are served in high bowls, which is quite similar to eating with bells and cauldrons.

For southerners living in Beijing, ancestor worship is particularly grand. Most of them are eight bowls of dishes, with a hot pot in the middle and cups and chopsticks according to the spiritual position. On New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, and New Year's Eve, the hot pot is fanned out and replaced at any time. vegetable. Banner people worship their ancestors, which is different from Manchuria and Mongolia. Mongolian Banner people offer yellow rice noodles fried in butter, which are fried in sesame oil and dipped in white sugar when they are removed, which gives them a different flavor. Manchurian bannermen worshiped their ancestors and offered walnut cakes, hibiscus cakes, apples, and plain wax sandalwood, which was extremely quiet and solemn. On New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, vegetarian dumplings are served, and on Yuan Yuan night, Lantern Festival is served. Every morning and evening, incense is burned, kowtow is offered, and new tea is offered. Although there are different forms of ancestor worship, most of them are hung on New Year's Eve and the offerings are withdrawn on the night of the Lantern Festival. Relatives and friends who are close to you must also visit the ancestor hall when paying New Year's greetings. Not only should they be careful to follow the distant past, but they will never forget their intentions, because of the virtue of respecting their ancestors. , also saved by this.

Customs of worshiping ancestors during the Spring Festival in various places

Taiwan: From New Year's Eve to the Spring Festival, at the third watch, the first important thing is to worship gods and ancestors. At that time, red candles were shining brightly, tea, red beans and other sacrifices were offered, and people were solemn and respectful. After worshiping the gods, you have to bow down to your ancestors, which is called "Spring Beginning". Welcoming the new righteousness is also called "opening the righteousness". At the end of the ceremony, gold paper is burned to offer to the ancestors.

Ningbo, Zhejiang: On the first day of the first lunar month, in front of the portraits of ancestors, incense candles are lit and rice dumplings, cakes, cakes and fruits are presented, and family members kneel down and worship in turn. Some also enshrine the remains of their ancestors in the ancestral hall, and the family members go to the ancestral hall to perform ancestor worship rituals.

Dongguan, Guangdong: On the first day of the first lunar month, most families choose an auspicious time in the almanac to hold an ancestor worship ceremony. The sacrifices are tea, wine, rice, saving boxes, fruits, and dragons ( rice cakes), ludui and vegetarian dishes. Ancestor worship procedures: burn incense, light candles, burn ingots, and set off cannons. The whole family worships ancestors according to the order of generation and age. When people in Zhongshang worship their ancestors, lights are always on and cigarettes are constantly burning.

Kaifeng, Henan: At the fifth watch of the night, those who watch the New Year's Eve wash up first, put on formal clothes and hats, place sacrifices on the altar, burn incense and candles, and set off firecrackers. Ancestors kneel down to offer sacrifices and wish them "good luck in the new year".

Luotian, Hubei: On the morning of the first day of the new year, I went to the ancestral hall to worship my ancestors and pay New Year greetings. The people guarding the ancestral hall had already prepared sacrifices to be offered in front of the ancestors’ shrines, and prepared a long pole to hang firecrackers. When the tribesmen arrive, they light a fire to express their welcome to come to worship their ancestors. When the ancestor worship ceremony is completed, they will be served with fruit boxes, tea or a sumptuous breakfast.

Northeastern region: At midnight on the first day of the Lunar New Year, people of all sizes put on new clothes, new hats, new socks, new shoes, worship their ancestors, and stand in front of the shrines dedicated to their ancestors. Lighting candles, burning incense, burning paper, and setting off cannons, the descendants kneel down and worship as a ritual, which is called "paper inoculation".

Guangdong and Guangxi areas: At five or six o'clock in the morning on the first day of the Lunar New Year, sumptuous food and wine are arranged in front of the ancestral hall. The whole family, men, women, old and young, all put on new clothes, arrange themselves in order of respect for their elders, and kneel down to worship their ancestors. kowtow.

In the eastern Henan area: After breakfast on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the whole family will worship their ancestors, in order of seniority, first male and then female, and kowtow and kneel before the ancestor's shrine one by one.

Western Sichuan: In the incense burner in front of the ancestral shrine, long incense smoke was lit, the red candle lit up brilliantly, and the copper chime was knocked loudly, filling the solemn atmosphere. During my time, the elders led men, women, old and young, standing neatly on both sides in uniforms and clothes. They burned incense, lit candles and burned paper before the ancestors. In order of seniority, they knelt down and worshiped the ancestors, served wine, offered meals, and burned paper money.

In Taiwan, the seventh month of the lunar calendar is called the "Ghost Month". It is the month when ghosts and gods come to the human world to be worshiped and enjoy animal sacrifices. Every July 1st of the lunar calendar (this year refers to July 25th of the Gregorian calendar) is the day when the "Ghost Gate" opens, and a sacrificial ceremony is held at the "Old Dagong Temple" in Keelung. The 15th day of July on the lunar calendar, when all ghosts return to the underworld, is called the "Hungry Ghost Festival". Almost every family offers sacrifices and tens of thousands of people worship.

The name "Zhongyuan" first came from the Northern Wei Dynasty, when it was also called "Ghost Festival" or "Ollambana Festival". "Bon" comes from Sanskrit and refers to the pain of life like a bat hanging upside down on a tree. In order to save all sentient beings from the suffering of hanging upside down, Buddhist disciples need to chant sutras and give food to lonely ghosts, which coincides with worshiping the "Ghost Moon". Today, the Hungry Ghost Festival, which combines Buddhist and Taoist beliefs, has become a grand festival in Taiwan second only to the Spring Festival.

As the sixth month of the lunar calendar has just begun, major stores in Taiwan are already immersed in the atmosphere of "Celebrating the Chinese Yuan", with incense paper and gold foil everywhere. On the day of the Ghost Festival, every household prepares sumptuous feasts of wine and meat to worship their ancestors. Traditional Pudu activities are held in various places, among which the Zhongyuan Festival in the "Old Dagong Temple" is the most distinctive. It is said that when the gate of ghosts opens on July 1st of the lunar calendar, all ghosts will come to the world from there, so at noon on the first day, tens of thousands of lights are lit in the temple to illuminate the way for the ghosts, and a ceremony is held in the early morning of July 1st of the lunar calendar. Believers rushed to burn incense and worship, decorating the Ghost Festival in a magnificent way.

The reason why Taiwanese people fear ghosts and gods is inseparable from Taiwan’s immigration history. Hundreds of years ago, after people came to Taiwan from the mainland after going through all kinds of hardships, their lives were very difficult, and they did not have much other spiritual comfort except belief in ghosts and gods.

Therefore, after the ancestors settled in Taiwan, they first built temples. There are now at least tens of thousands of temples in the 309 towns and villages in Taiwan, which is why Taiwan is known as the "Island of Ten Thousand Temples."

However, over hundreds of years, this fear of ghosts and gods has gradually developed into a superstitious custom throughout the island. Especially in recent years, superstitious phenomena in Taiwanese society have shown an expanding trend. According to a Yahoo online poll (participants were mainly young people under 30 years old), 86% of people believe in the existence of ghosts and gods. Every year in the seventh month of the lunar calendar, patients are reluctant to have surgery or be hospitalized to avoid being in the company of ghosts, and no one is willing to buy a house or move at this time.

The prevalence of superstition in Taiwanese society certainly has its historical reasons, but it is also related to the current trend of Taiwanese society. Nowadays in Taiwan, from politicians to mainstream media, people are flocking to superstitious behaviors such as Feng Shui. Naturally, the people will be deeply affected. In addition, Taiwan's economic downturn in recent years has increased competition pressure, and people have to seek spiritual sustenance to relieve their stress. Pressure leads to the expansion of superstition and many social problems follow. In recent years, there have been many cases of patients seeking medical treatment in order to avoid the "ghost moon", resulting in their condition worsening, and there have been endless cases of fraud taking advantage of people's superstitious psychology. Therefore, some Taiwanese people have begun to reflect on the superstitious trend in society. During this year’s Ghost Month, wedding dress manufacturers in Taichung City have launched a 50% discount to encourage people to break the superstitious custom of getting married during the Ghost Month.

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