with the "Stele of Divine Merits and Saintly Virtues" (
Shengong Shende), erected by the
Yongle Emperor in 1413 in honor of his father, the
Hongwu Emperor in the
Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum ("Ming Mausoleum of Filial Piety").
Chinese folk religion In
Chinese folk religion, a person is often thought to have multiple souls, categorized as
hun and po, commonly associated with
yang and yin, respectively. Upon death,
hun and
po separate. Generally, the former ascends into heaven and the latter descends into the earth and/or resides within a
spirit tablet; however, beliefs concerning the number and nature of souls vary. In accordance with these traditional beliefs, various practices have arisen to address the perceived needs of the deceased. The basic ritual required in ancestor veneration is proper mourning and burial for parents, and regular offerings so that the deceased will be provided for in death.
Mourning The mourning of a loved one usually involves elaborate rituals, which vary according to region and sect. The intensity of the mourning is thought to reflect the quality of relationship one had with the deceased. From the time of Confucius until the 20th century, a three-year mourning period was often prescribed, mirroring the first three years in a child's life when they are utterly dependent upon and loved unconditionally by their parents. These mourning practices would often include wearing sackcloth or simple garb, leaving hair unkempt, eating a restricted diet of
congee two times a day, living in a mourning shack placed beside the house, and moaning in pain at certain intervals of the day. It is said, that after the death of Confucius his followers engaged in this three-year mourning period to symbolize their commitment to his teachings.
Funeral rites Funerals are considered to be a part of the normal process of family life, serving as a cornerstone in inter-generational traditions. The primary goals, regardless of religious beliefs, are to demonstrate obeisance and provide comfort for the deceased. Other goals include: to protect the descendants of the deceased from malevolent spirits and to ensure the proper separation and direction of the deceased's soul into the afterlife. Some common elements of Chinese funerals include the expression of grief through prolonged, often exaggerated, wailing; the wearing of white mortuary clothes by the family of the deceased; a ritual washing of the corpse, followed by its attiring in grave clothes; the transfer of symbolic goods such as money and food from the living to the dead; the preparation and installation of a
spirit tablet or the use of a
personator, often symbolic. Sometimes, ritual specialists such as Taoist priests or Buddhist monks would be hired to perform specific rites, often accompanied by the playing of music or chanting of scripture to drive away evil spirits.
Taoism Some Taoists practiced ancestor veneration and beseeched ancestors, multiple ancestors, and pantheons of ancestors to aid them in life and/or abolish their sins.
Confucianism Some Confucianists practice ancestor worship as a form of filial piety.
Martial arts China is the origin country of
several thousand martial arts styles, some traditional and others modern. In the
Traditional Chinese Martial Arts, practices of ancestor worship are prevalent and common. Typically, a traditional school, called a 'Wuguan' ('Martial Hall'), will often feature an ancestral altar. On the altar there are typically pictures or paintings of lineage-teachers, either alive or deceased, as well as of lineage founders. Sometimes, the altar may also feature the paintings or statues of
buddhist or
daoist deities. Incense is usually burnt at such an altar, and symbolic ceremonial offerings such as fruit may also be placed upon it. == See also ==