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'{{short description|Cultural or religious practice}} {{redirect|Cult of the dead}} {{Anthropology of religion|Basic|image=[[File:Flemish - Shrine of Saint Amandus - Walters 539 - Three Quarter.jpg|center|255px]]|caption=Shrine of St. [[Amandus]]}} The '''veneration of the dead''', including one's [[ancestor]]s, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to [[belief]]s that the dead have a [[afterlife|continued existence]], and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living. Some groups [[Veneration|venerate]] their direct, familial ancestors. Certain sects and religions, in particular the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] and [[Roman Catholic Church]], venerate [[saint]]s as [[Intercession|intercessors with God]]; the latter also believes in prayer for [[Soul|departed souls]] in [[Purgatory]]. Other religious groups, however, consider veneration of the dead to be [[idolatry]] and a [[sin]]. In [[Culture of Europe|European]], [[Culture of Asia|Asian]], [[Oceanian]], [[Culture of Africa|African]] and [[Afro-American religion|Afro-diasporic]] cultures, the goal of ancestor [[veneration]] is to ensure the ancestors' continued well-being and positive disposition towards the living, and sometimes to ask for special favours or assistance. The social or non-religious function of ancestor veneration is to cultivate [[kinship]] values, such as [[filial piety]], family loyalty, and continuity of the [[Kinship#Descent and the family|family lineage]]. Ancestor veneration occurs in societies with every degree of social, political, and technological complexity, and it remains an important component of various [[religious]] practices in modern times. ==Overview== Ancestor reverence is not the same as the [[worship]] of a [[deity]] or deities. In some Afro-diasporic cultures, ancestors are seen as being able to intercede on behalf of the living, often as messengers between humans and God. As spirits who were once human themselves, they are seen as being better able to understand human needs than would a divine being. In other cultures, the purpose of ancestor veneration is not to ask for favors but to do one's filial duty. Some cultures believe that their ancestors actually need to be provided for by their descendants, and their practices include offerings of food and other provisions. Others do not believe that the ancestors are even aware of what their descendants do for them, but that the expression of [[filial piety]] is what is important. Most cultures who practice ancestor veneration do not call it "ancestor worship". In English, the word ''worship'' usually but not always refers to the reverent love and [[Loyalty|devotion]] accorded a deity (god) or [[God]].<ref>{{citation |url=http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/worship |title=worship |publisher=Cambridge University Press |access-date=2015-11-03 |archive-date=2015-11-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118050021/http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/worship |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/learner/worship |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003183312/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/learner/worship |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 3, 2015 |title=worship |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worship |title=worship |date=May 2023 |publisher=Merriam-Webster, Incorporated |access-date=2015-11-03 |archive-date=2015-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002180845/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worship |url-status=live }}</ref> However, in other cultures, this act of worship does not confer any belief that the departed ancestors have become some kind of deity. Rather, the act is a way to express filial duty, devotion and respect and look after ancestors in their afterlives as well as seek their guidance for their living descendants. In this regard, many cultures and religions have similar practices. Some may visit the graves of their parents or other ancestors, leave flowers and pray to them in order to honor and remember them, while also asking their ancestors to continue to look after them. However, this would not be considered as worshiping them since the term ''worship'' may not always convey such meaning in the exclusive and narrow context of certain Western European Christian traditions. In that sense the phrase ''ancestor veneration'' may but from the limited perspective of certain Western European Christian traditions, convey a more accurate sense of what practitioners, such as the [[Chinese people|Chinese]] and other [[Buddhism|Buddhist-influenced]] and [[Confucianism|Confucian-influenced]] societies, as well as the African and European cultures see themselves as doing. This is consistent with the meaning of the word ''[[veneration]]'' in English, that is great respect or reverence caused by the dignity, wisdom, or dedication of a person.<ref>{{citation |url=http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/venerate |title=venerate |publisher=Cambridge University Press |access-date=2015-11-03 |archive-date=2015-11-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151108081240/http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/venerate |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/veneration |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121121024700/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/veneration |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 21, 2012 |title=veneration |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/veneration |title=veneration |date=19 April 2023 |publisher=Merriam-Webster, Incorporated |access-date=3 November 2015 |archive-date=18 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151218021517/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/veneration |url-status=live }}</ref> Although there is no generally accepted theory concerning the origins of ancestor veneration, this social phenomenon appears in some form in all human cultures documented so far. David-Barrett and Carney claim that ancestor veneration might have served a group coordination role during [[human evolution]],<ref>{{Cite journal|title = The deification of historical figures and the emergence of priesthoods as a solution to a network coordination problem|journal = Religion, Brain & Behavior|date = 2015-08-14|issn = 2153-599X|pages = 307–317|issue = 4|doi = 10.1080/2153599X.2015.1063001|first1 = Tamás|last1 = Dávid-Barrett|first2 = James|last2 = Carney|volume = 6|s2cid = 146979343}}</ref> and thus it was the mechanism that led to religious representation fostering [[group cohesion]].<ref>{{Cite book|title = Modes of Religiosity. A Cognitive Theory of Religious Transmission|last = Whitehouse|first = Harvey|publisher = Alta Mira Press|year = 2004|isbn = 978-0-7591-0615-4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|title = Why minds create gods: Devotion, deception, death, and arational decision making|url = http://journals.cambridge.org/article_S0140525X04470174|journal = Behavioral and Brain Sciences|date = 2004-12-01|issn = 1469-1825|pages = 754–770|volume = 27|issue = 6|doi = 10.1017/S0140525X04470174|first1 = Scott|last1 = Atran|first2 = Ara|last2 = Norenzayan|s2cid = 145808393}}</ref> ==West and Southeast African cultures== Ancestor veneration is prevalent throughout Africa, and serves as the basis of many religions. It is often augmented by a belief in a supreme being, but prayers and/or sacrifices are usually offered to the ancestors who may ascend to becoming a kind of minor deities themselves. Ancestor veneration remains among many Africans, sometimes practiced alongside the later adopted religions of Christianity (as in Nigeria among the [[Igbo people]]), and Islam (among the different [[Mandé]] peoples and the [[Bamum people|Bamum]] and the Bakossi people) in much of the continent.<ref>{{citation |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9hNKkzt1ovEC&pg=PA412 |chapter=Ancestors as Elders in Africa |author=Igor Kopytoff |title=Perspectives on Africa: A Reader in Culture, History, and Representation |editor=[[Roy Richard Grinker]], Christopher Burghard Steiner |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |year=1997 |isbn=978-1-55786-686-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/perspectivesonaf00royr }}</ref><ref>[http://lucy.ukc.ac.uk/fdtl/ancestors/fortes2.html Some reflections on ancestor workship in Africa] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425103859/http://lucy.ukc.ac.uk/Fdtl/Ancestors/fortes2.html |date=2009-04-25 }}, Meyer Fortes, ''African Systems of Thought'', pp. 122–142, [[University of Kent]].</ref> In orthodox [[Serer religion]], the [[pangool]] is venerated by the [[Serer people]]. ===Serer of Senegal and Gambia=== {{main|Pangool}} The [[Serer people|Seereer people]] of Senegal, The Gambia and Mauritania who adhere to the tenets of [[Serer religion|A ƭat Roog]] (Seereer religion) believe in the veneration of the [[pangool]] (ancient Seereer saints and/or ancestral spirits). There are various types of pangool (singular: ''fangol''), each with its own means of veneration. ===Madagascar=== [[File:Famadihana reburial razana ancestor Madagascar.jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Famadihana]] reburial ceremony]] Veneration of ancestors is prevalent throughout the island of [[Madagascar]]. Approximately half of the country's population of 20 million currently practice traditional religion,<ref name=BGNote>{{cite web |last=Bureau of African Affairs |title=Background Note: Madagascar |publisher=U.S. Department of State |date=3 May 2011 |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5460.htm |access-date=24 August 2011 |archive-date=26 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026204111/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5460.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> which tends to emphasize links between the living and the ''razana'' (ancestors). The veneration of ancestors has led to the widespread tradition of tomb building, as well as the highlands practice of the ''[[famadihana]]'', whereby a deceased family member's remains may be exhumed to be periodically re-wrapped in fresh silk shrouds before being replaced in the tomb. The famadihana is an occasion to celebrate the beloved ancestor's memory, reunite with family and community, and enjoy a festive atmosphere. Residents of surrounding villages are often invited to attend the party, where food and rum are typically served and a [[hiragasy]] troupe or other musical entertainment is commonly present.<ref name=famadihana>{{cite news|last=Bearak |first=Barry |title=Dead Join the Living in a Family Celebration |newspaper=New York Times |page=A7 |date=5 September 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/06/world/africa/06madagascar.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127041227/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/06/world/africa/06madagascar.html |archive-date=27 January 2012 |access-date=13 January 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Veneration of ancestors is also demonstrated through adherence to ''[[Fady (taboo)|fady]]'', taboos that are respected during and after the lifetime of the person who establishes them. It is widely believed that by showing respect for ancestors in these ways, they may intervene on behalf of the living. Conversely, misfortunes are often attributed to ancestors whose memory or wishes have been neglected. The sacrifice of [[zebu]] is a traditional method used to appease or honor the ancestors. Small, everyday gestures of respect include throwing the first capful of a newly opened bottle of rum into the northeast corner of the room to give the ancestors their due share.<ref name=Bradtbeliefs>Bradt (2011), pp.&nbsp;13–20</ref> ==Asian cultures== ===Cambodia=== {{See also|Pchum Ben}} During Pchum Ben and the [[Cambodian New Year]] people make offerings to their ancestors. Pchum Ben is a time when many Cambodians pay their respects to deceased relatives of up to seven generations.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Holt|first=John Clifford|year=2012|title=Caring for the Dead Ritually in Cambodia|journal=Southeast Asian Studies|publisher=Kyoto University|volume=1|url=http://englishkyoto-seas.org/wp-content/uploads/010101.pdf|access-date=2019-04-20|archive-date=2019-04-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420211625/https://englishkyoto-seas.org/wp-content/uploads/010101.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Monks chant the [[sutra|suttas]] in [[Pali]] language overnight (continuously, without sleeping) in prelude to the gates of hell opening, an event that is presumed to occur once a year, and is linked to the cosmology of King [[Yama]] originating in the [[Pali Canon]]. During this period, the gates of hell are opened and ghosts of the dead ([[preta]]) are presumed to be especially active. In order to combat this, food-offerings are made to benefit them, some of these ghosts having the opportunity to end their period of purgation, whereas others are imagined to leave hell temporarily, to then return to endure more suffering; without much explanation, relatives who are not in hell (who are in heaven or otherwise reincarnated) are also generally imagined to benefit from the ceremonies. ===China=== [[File:Longshan Temple DSC02236.jpg|thumb|Burning of [[incense]] during a veneration at [[Mengjia Longshan Temple]], which is dedicated to [[Guan Yu]], [[Mazu (goddess)|Mazu]], and others]] {{Main|Ancestor veneration in China}} [[Ancestor veneration in China|In China]], ancestor veneration (敬祖, [[pinyin]]: ''jìngzǔ'') and ancestor worship (拜祖, [[pinyin]]: ''bàizǔ'') seek to honour and recollect the actions of the deceased; they represent the ultimate homage to the dead. The importance of paying respect to parents (and elders) lies with the fact that all physical bodily aspects of one's being were created by one's parents, who continued to tend to one's well-being until one was on firm footing. The respect and homage to parents is to return this gracious deed to them in life and after. The [[Shi (personator)|''shi'']] (尸; "corpse, personator") was a [[Zhou dynasty]] ({{BCE|1045–256|link=y}}) sacrificial representative of a dead relative. During a ''shi'' ceremony, the ancestral spirit supposedly would enter the personator, who would eat and drink sacrificial offerings and convey spiritual messages. ====Offerings==== [[Image:Burning-money-and-yuanbao-at-the-cemetery-3249.JPG|thumb|left|140px|Burning offerings]] In traditional Chinese culture, sacrifices are sometimes made to altars as food for the deceased. This falls under the modes of communication with the [[Chinese spiritual world concepts]]. Some of the veneration includes visiting the deceased at their graves, and making or [[Papier-mache offering shops in Hong Kong|buying offerings]] for the deceased in the [[Chinese New Year|Spring]], [[Double Ninth Festival|Autumn]], and [[Ghost Festival]]s. Due to the hardships of the late 19th- and 20th-century China, when meat and poultry were difficult to come by, sumptuous feasts are still offered in some Asian countries as a practice to the spirits or ancestors. However, in the orthodox [[Taoist]] and Buddhist rituals, only vegetarian food would suffice. For those with deceased in the afterlife or [[diyu|hell]], elaborate or even creative offerings, such as [[domestic worker|servants]], [[refrigerator]]s, [[house]]s, [[car]], paper money and [[shoe]]s are provided so that the deceased will be able to have these items after they have died. Often, paper versions of these objects are burned for the same purpose. Originally, real-life objects were buried with the dead. In time these goods were replaced by full size clay models which in turn were replaced by scale models, and in time today's paper offerings (including paper servants). ===India=== {{see also | Pitrs | Devata | Indian rituals after death}} [[File:Pinda Daan - Jagannath Ghat - Kolkata 2012-10-15 0703.JPG|thumb|150px|left|''[[śrāddha|Shraadha]]'' taking place at Jagannath Ghat in Calcutta, at end of [[Pitru Paksha]].]] Ancestors are widely revered, honoured, and venerated in India. The spirit of a dead person is called [[Pitrs]], which is venerated. When a person dies, the family observes a thirteen-day mourning period, generally called ''[[śrāddha]]''. A year thence, they observe the ritual of Tarpan, in which the family makes offerings to the deceased. During these rituals, the family prepares the food items that the deceased liked and offers food to the deceased. They offer this food to crows as well on certain days as it is believed that the soul comes in the form of a bird to taste it. They are also obliged to offer ''śrāddha'', a small feast of specific preparations, to eligible [[Brahmin]]s. Only after these rituals are the family members allowed to eat. It is believed that this reminds the ancestor's spirits that they are not forgotten and are loved, so it brings them peace. On Shradh days, people pray that the souls of ancestors be appeased, forget any animosity and find peace. Each year, on the particular date (as per the [[Hindu calendar]]) when the person had died, the family members repeat this ritual. Indian and Chinese practices of ancestor-worship are prevalent throughout Asia as a result of the large [[Indian diaspora|Indian]] and [[Chinese diaspora|Chinese]] populations in countries such as [[Singapore]], [[Malaysia]], [[Indonesia]], and elsewhere across the continent. Furthermore, the large Indian population in places such as [[Fiji]] and [[Guyana]] has resulted in these practices spreading beyond their Asian homeland. The [[Buta Kola|Bhoota Kola]] and [[Theyyam]] also incorporates the worship of ancestors through dance and singing. In [[Buddhism]]<nowiki/>and [[Jainism]] incorporates the worship of Monks. In Buddhism [[Bhikkhu|Bhikshus]], [[Bhikkhunī|Bhikshuni]] and [[Arhat|Arhats]] are worshipped and in Jainis[[Arhat|Sadhus and Sadhvis are worshipped]][[Jain monasticism|dhus and Sadhvishu]] ====Assam==== {{main|Me-Dam-Me-Phi}} The [[Ahom religion]] is based on ancestor-worship. The Ahoms believe that a man after his death remains as ‘Dam’(ancestor) only for a few days and soon he becomes ‘Phi’ (God). They also believe that the soul of a man which is immortal unites with the supreme soul, possesses the qualities of a spiritual being and always blesses the family. So every Ahom family in order to worship the dead establish a pillar on the opposite side of the kitchen (Barghar) which is called ‘Damkhuta’ where they worship the dead with various offerings like homemade wine, mah-prasad, rice with various items of meat and fish. Me-Dam-Me-Phi, a ritual centred on commemorating the dead, is celebrated by the [[Ahom people]] on 31 January every year in memory of the departed. It is the manifestation of the concept of ancestor worship that the Ahoms share with other peoples originating from the Tai-Shan stock. It is a festival to show respect to the departed ancestors and remember their contribution to society. On the day of Me-Dam Me Phi worship is offered only to Chaufi and Dam Chaufi because they are regarded as gods of heaven. ====Indus Valley Civilization==== {{main|Rakhigarhi}} At [[Rakhigarhi]], an [[Indus Valley civilization]] (IVC) site in [[Haryana]], the lover's skeletons of a man between 35 and 40 years old and women in early 20s were found who were likely married to each other and buried together, their grave contained pots which likely carried food and water as offering to the dead.<ref name=jh3>[https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/10/health/harappa-grave-couple-india-scli-intl/index.html Ancient lovers found in Indian burial site mystify and intrigue archaeologists] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916111507/https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/10/health/harappa-grave-couple-india-scli-intl/index.html |date=2021-09-16 }}, CNN, January 10, 2019.</ref><ref name=jh4>Vasant Shinde1, et al, 2018, [https://synapse.koreamed.org/articles/1101692 A young couple's grave found in the Rakhigarhi cemetery of the Harappan Civilization] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916111511/https://synapse.koreamed.org/articles/1101692 |date=2021-09-16 }}, Anatomy & Cell Biology, vol 51 (3), pp. 200-204.</ref> ====Paliya in Gujarat==== [[File:Samadhi near chatri3.JPG|thumb|140px|Four ''Paliya''s, one dedicated to man and three to women at Chhatardi, [[Bhuj]], [[Kutch]], Gujarat, India]] The ''[[Paliya]]'' memorial stones are associated with ancestral worship in western India. These memorials are worshiped by people of associated community or decedents of a person on special days such as death day of person, event anniversaries, festivals, auspicious days in Kartika, [[Shraavana]] or [[Bhadrapada]] months of [[Hindu calendar]]. These memorials are washed with milk and water on these days. They are smeared with [[sindoor]] or [[kumkum]] and flowers are scattered over it. The [[Deepak|earthen lamp]] is lighted near it with sesame oil. Sometimes a flag is erected over it.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Adalbert J. Gail|author2=Gerd J. R. Mevissen|author3=Richard Salomon|title=Script and Image: Papers on Art and Epigraphy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QwkOdPtZmVcC&pg=PA187|year=2006|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-2944-2|pages=187–190}}</ref> ====Pitru Paksha in Indian-origin religions ==== Apart from this, there is also a fortnight-long duration each year called ''[[Pitru Paksha]]'' ("fortnight of ancestors"), when the family remembers all its ancestors and offers "Tarpan" to them.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fortnight for departed ancestral spirits and the Shraddha ritual |url=https://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritual-problems/ancestral-spirits/fortnight-for-departed-ancestral-spirits-and-shraddha-ritual/#post-22963:~:text=3.2.3%20The%20simple%20version%20of%20the%20Shraddha%20ritual |website=Spiritual Science Research Foundation |access-date=2020-11-22 |archive-date=2020-11-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111174228/https://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritual-problems/ancestral-spirits/fortnight-for-departed-ancestral-spirits-and-shraddha-ritual/#post-22963:~:text=3.2.3%20The%20simple%20version%20of%20the%20Shraddha%20ritual |url-status=live }}</ref> This period falls just before the [[Navratri]] or [[Durga Puja]] falling in the month of [[Ashwin]]. [[Mahalaya]] marks the end of the fortnight-long Tarpan to the ancestors.<ref name = sharma>{{cite book|last=Sharma|first=Usha|title=Festivals In Indian Society|publisher=Mittal Publications|year=2008|volume=2|chapter=Mahalaya|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z6OYRUEAF7oC&q=pitru%20paksha&pg=PA72|pages = 72–73 | isbn=978-81-8324-113-7}}</ref> ====Tuluva Culture in Tulu Nadu==== Tuluvas have the ancestor worship in the name of [[Buta Kola]]. ===Indonesia=== In Indonesia ancestor worship has been a tradition of some of the indigenous people. [[Podom]] of the [[Toba Batak people|Toba Batak]], [[Waruga]] of the [[Minahasa]]ns and the coffins of the [[Karo people (Indonesia)]] are a few examples of the forms the veneration takes. === Japan === Before the introduction of Buddhism to Japan, ancestor worship and funerary rites were not common, especially for non-elites.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ōtō|first=Osamu|date=2011|title=Life and Death, Funeral Rites and Burial Systems in Early Modern Japan|journal=Early Modern Japan|volume=19|pages=7–20}}</ref> In the Heian Period, abandonment was a common method of disposing of the dead.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Walter|first=Mariko Namba|title=Death and the Afterlife in Japanese Buddhism|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|year=2008|pages=247–292}}</ref> Following the advent of Buddhism, rituals were sometimes performed at the gravesite after burial or cremation.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Drixler|first=Fabian|title=Imagined Communities of the Living and the Dead:: The Spread of the Ancestor-Venerating Stem Family in Tokugawa Japan|chapter=Imagined Communities of the Living and the Dead|date=2019|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvr7fdd1.8|work=What Is a Family?|pages=68–108|editor-last=Berry|editor-first=Mary Elizabeth|series=Answers from Early Modern Japan|edition=1|publisher=University of California Press|jstor=j.ctvr7fdd1.8|isbn=978-0-520-31608-9|access-date=2020-10-03|editor2-last=Yonemoto|editor2-first=Marcia|archive-date=2020-07-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731160220/https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvr7fdd1.8|url-status=live}}</ref> ===Korea=== [[Image:Korean culture-Jesa-02.jpg|thumb|A Korean ''[[jesa]]'' altar for ancestors]] {{see also|Jesa}} In [[Korea]], ancestor veneration is referred to by the generic term ''[[Jongmyo jerye|jerye]]'' (hangul: 제례; hanja: {{linktext|祭|禮}}) or ''[[jesa]]'' (hangul: 제사; hanja: {{linktext|祭|祀}}). Notable examples of ''jerye'' include ''[[Munmyo]] jerye'' and ''[[Jongmyo (Seoul)|Jongmyo]] jerye'', which are performed periodically each year for venerated Confucian scholars and kings of ancient times, respectively. The ceremony held on the [[Death anniversary|anniversary]] of a family member's death is called ''charye'' (차례). It is still practiced today.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=VDRAah_jogMC&q=ancestor+worship ''Ancestor Worship and Korean Society,''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506164517/https://books.google.com/books?id=VDRAah_jogMC&q=ancestor+worship |date=2023-05-06 }} Roger Janelli, Dawnhee Janelli, [[Stanford University Press]], 1992. {{ISBN|0-8047-2158-0}}.</ref> The majority of Catholics, Buddhists and nonbelievers practice ancestral rites, although Protestants do not.<ref name="park">{{cite book|last=Park|first=Chang-Won|title=Cultural Blending in Korean Death Rites|publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group|year= 2010|pages=12–13|isbn=978-1-4411-1749-6}}</ref> The Catholic ban on ancestral rituals was lifted in 1939, when the [[Catholic Church]] formally recognized ancestral rites as a civil practice.<ref name="park"/> Ancestral rites are typically divided into three categories:<ref>{{cite journal|last=Bae|first=Choon Sup|date=August 2007|title=The Challenge of Ancestor Worship in Korea|publisher=University of Pretoria|url=http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-05272008-141650/unrestricted/03chapter4.pdf|access-date=2012-02-24|archive-date=2012-06-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617080936/http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-05272008-141650/unrestricted/03chapter4.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> # Charye (차례, 茶禮) – [[Korean tea|tea rites]] held four times a year on major holidays ([[Korean New Year]], [[Chuseok]]) # Kije (기제, 忌祭) – household rites held the night before an ancestor's death anniversary (기일, 忌日) # Sije (시제, 時祭; also called 사시제 or 四時祭) – seasonal rites held for ancestors who are five or more generations removed (typically performed annually on the tenth lunar month) ===Myanmar=== Ancestor worship in modern-day Myanmar is largely confined to some ethnic minority communities, but mainstream remnants of it still exist, such as worship of [[Bo Bo Gyi]] (literally "great grandfather"), as well as of other guardian spirits such as [[nat (spirit)|nats]], all of which may be vestiges of historic ancestor worship.<ref name="sad">{{cite book|last=Sadan|first=Mandy|title=Burma at the turn of the twenty-first century|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|year=2005|isbn=978-0-8248-2897-4|editor=Skidmore|editor-first=Monique|location=Hawaii|pages=90–111}}</ref> Ancestor worship was present in the royal court in pre-colonial Burma. During the [[Konbaung dynasty]], solid [[gold]] images of deceased kings and their consorts were worshiped three times a year by the royal family, during the Burmese New Year (''[[Thingyan]]''), at the beginning and at the end of [[Vassa]].<ref name="harv">{{cite book|last=Harvey|first=G. E.|title=History of Burma|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.32059|publisher=Longmans|year=1925|pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.32059/page/n385 327]–328}}</ref> The images were stored in the treasury and worshiped at the Zetawunzaung ({{my|ဇေတဝန်ဆောင်}}, "Hall of Ancestors"), along with a book of odes.<ref name="harv"/> Some scholars attribute the disappearance of ancestor worship to the influence of [[Buddhist]] doctrines of [[anicca]] and [[anatta]], impermanence and rejection of a 'self'.<ref>{{cite book|last=Spiro|first=Melford E.|title=Burmese Supernaturalism|publisher=Transaction Publishers|year=1978|pages=69–70|isbn=978-1-56000-882-8}}</ref> ===Philippines=== {{Main|Anito|Indigenous Philippine folk religions|Souls in Filipino cultures}} [[File:Anitos of Northern tribes (c. 1900, Philippines).jpg|thumb|Various [[Igorot]] ''[[bulul]]'' depicting ''[[anito]]'' or ancestor spirits (c. 1900)]] In the [[animistic]] [[Indigenous religious beliefs of the Philippines|indigenous religions]] of the precolonial [[Philippines]], ancestor spirits were one of the two major types of spirits (''[[anito]]'') with whom [[babaylan|shamans]] communicate. Ancestor spirits were known as ''umalagad'' (lit. "guardian" or "caretaker"). They can be the spirits of actual ancestors or generalized guardian spirits of a family. Ancient Filipinos believed that upon death, the soul of a person travels (usually by boat) to a [[Spirit world (Spiritualism)|spirit world]].<ref name="Scott1994">{{cite book | last = Scott | first = William Henry | author-link = William Henry Scott (historian) | title = Barangay: Sixteenth Century Philippine Culture and Society | publisher = Ateneo de Manila University Press | date = 1994 | location = Quezon City | isbn = 978-971-550-135-4 }}</ref><ref name="under"/><ref name="soul">{{cite web|url=https://www.aswangproject.com/soul-according-ethnolinguistic-groups-philippines/|title=The Soul According to the Ethnolinguistic Groups of the Philippines|date=15 April 2017|publisher=The Aswang Project|access-date=11 May 2018|archive-date=24 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024122340/https://www.aswangproject.com/soul-according-ethnolinguistic-groups-philippines/|url-status=live}}</ref> There can be multiple locations in the spirit world, varying in different ethnic groups. Which place souls end up in depends on how they died, the age at death, or conduct of the person when they were alive. Souls reunite with deceased relatives in the underworld and lead normal lives in the underworld as they did in the material world. In some cases, the souls of evil people undergo penance and cleansing before they are granted entrance into a particular spirit realm. Souls would eventually [[Reincarnation|reincarnate]] after a period of time in the spirit world.<ref name="Scott1994"/><ref name="under">{{cite web|url=https://www.aswangproject.com/how-to-travel-the-underworld-of-philippine-mythology/|title=How to Travel the Underworld of Philippine Mythology|date=14 April 2018|publisher=The Aswang Project|access-date=11 May 2018|archive-date=24 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024122253/https://www.aswangproject.com/how-to-travel-the-underworld-of-philippine-mythology/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="hislop">{{cite journal|author=Stephen K. Hislop|year=1971|title=Anitism: a survey of religious beliefs native to the Philippines|journal=Asian Studies|volume=9|issue=2|pages=144–156|url=http://www.asj.upd.edu.ph/mediabox/archive/ASJ-09-02-1971/hislop-anitism-survey-religious%20beliefs-native-philippines.pdf|access-date=2018-05-12|archive-date=2018-07-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707172324/http://www.asj.upd.edu.ph/mediabox/archive/ASJ-09-02-1971/hislop-anitism-survey-religious%20beliefs-native-philippines.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="rath">{{cite book|author=Imke Rath|editor =Astrid Windus & Eberhard Crailsheim|title =Image – Object – Performance: Mediality and Communication in Cultural Contact Zones of Colonial Latin America and the Philippines|chapter =Depicting Netherworlds, or the Treatment of the Afterlife in a Colonial Contact Zone: The Paete Case|publisher =Waxmann Verlag|year =2013|isbn =978-3830979296|chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=qWVfAgAAQBAJ}}</ref> Souls in the spirit world still retain a degree of influence in the material world, and vice versa. ''[[Anito|Paganito]]'' rituals may be used to invoke good ancestor spirits for protection, intercession, or advice. Vengeful spirits of the dead can manifest as apparitions or ghosts (''mantiw'') and cause harm to living people. ''Paganito'' can be used to appease or banish them.<ref name="Scott1994"/><ref name="hislop"/><ref name="halili">{{cite book|author=Maria Christine N. Halili|title =Philippine History|publisher =Rex Bookstore, Inc.|year =2004|pages=58–59|isbn =978-9712339349|url =https://books.google.com/books?id=gUt5v8ET4QYC}}</ref> Ancestor spirits also figured prominently during illness or death, as they were believed to be the ones who call the soul to the underworld, guide the soul (a [[psychopomp]]), or meet the soul upon arrival.<ref name="Scott1994"/> Ancestor spirits are also known as ''kalading'' among the [[Igorot people|Cordillerans]];<ref name="cole">{{cite journal|author=Fay-Cooper Cole & Albert Gale|year=1922|title=The Tinguian; Social, Religious, and Economic life of a Philippine tribe|journal=Field Museum of Natural History: Anthropological Series|volume=14|issue=2|pages=235–493|url=https://archive.org/details/tinguiansocialre142cole}}</ref> ''tonong'' among the [[Maguindanao people|Maguindanao]] and [[Maranao people|Maranao]];<ref name="tonong">{{cite web|url=http://www.seasite.niu.edu/tagalog/Mindanao_Culture/mindanao_customs.htm|title=Mindanao Customs and Beliefs|publisher=SEAsite, Northern Illinois University|access-date=11 May 2018|archive-date=24 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024122440/http://www.seasite.niu.edu/tagalog/Mindanao_Culture/mindanao_customs.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''umboh'' among the [[Sama-Bajau]];<ref name="jubilado">{{cite journal|author1=Rodney C. Jubilado|author2=Hanafi Hussin|author3=Maria Khristina Manueli|name-list-style=amp|year=2011|title=The Sama-Bajaus of Sulu-Sulawesi Seas: perspectives from linguistics and culture|journal=Journal of Southeast Asian Studies|volume=15|issue=1|pages=83–95}}</ref> ''ninunò'' among [[Tagalog people|Tagalogs]]; and ''nono'' among [[Bicolano people|Bicolanos]].<ref name="cannell">{{cite book|author=Fenella Cannell|title =Power and Intimacy in the Christian Philippines|publisher =Cambridge University Press|series =Cambridge Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology, Volume 109|year =1999|isbn =978-0521646222|url =https://books.google.com/books?id=ngmnrkfySdUC}}</ref> Ancestor spirits are usually represented by carved figures called ''taotao''. These were carved by the community upon a person's death. Every household had a ''taotao'' stored in a shelf in the corner of the house.<ref name="Scott1994"/> The predominantly [[Roman Catholicism in the Philippines|Roman Catholic]] Filipino people still hold ancestors in particular esteem—though without the formality common to their neighbours—despite having been Christianised since coming into contact with Spanish missionaries in 1521. In the present day, ancestor veneration is expressed in having photographs of the dead by the home altar, a common fixture in many Filipino Christian homes. Candles are often kept burning before the photographs, which are sometimes decorated with garlands of fresh [[Jasminum sambac|sampaguita]], the national flower. Ancestors, particularly dead parents, are still regarded as psychopomps, as a dying person is said to be brought to the afterlife ([[Tagalog language|Tagalog]]: ''sundô'', "fetch") by the spirits of dead relatives. It is said that when the dying call out the names of deceased loved ones, they can see the spirits of those particular people waiting at the foot of the deathbed.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} Filipino Catholic and [[Iglesia Filipina Independiente|Aglipayan]] veneration of the dead finds its greatest expression in the Philippines is the Hallowmas season between 31 October and 2 November, variously called ''Undás'' (based on the word for "[the] first", the [[Spanish language in the Philippines|Spanish]] ''andas'' or possibly ''honra''), ''Todos los Santos'' (literally "[[All Saints' Day|All Saints]]"), and sometimes ''Áraw ng mga Patáy'' (lit. "Day of the Dead"), which refers to the following solemnity of [[All Souls' Day]]. Filipinos traditionally observe this day by visiting the family dead, cleaning and repairing their tombs. Common offerings are prayers, flowers, candles, and even food, while many also spend the remainder of the day and ensuing night holding reunions at the graveyard, playing games and music or singing.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bautista |first=Iss |date=2018-10-23 |title=Day of the Dead Traditions in the Philippines |url=https://www.modernfilipina.ph/lifestyle/day-of-the-dead-traditions-philippines |access-date=2022-06-08 |website=ModernFilipina.ph |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-05-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518120152/https://www.modernfilipina.ph/lifestyle/day-of-the-dead-traditions-philippines |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Chinese Filipinos]], meanwhile, have the most apparent and distinct customs related to ancestor veneration, carried over from traditional Chinese religion and most often melded with their current Catholic faith. Many still burn incense and [[joss paper|kim]] at family tombs and before photos at home, while they incorporate Chinese practises into Masses held during the All Souls' Day period.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} ===Sri Lanka=== In Sri Lanka, making offerings to one's ancestors is conducted on the sixth day after death as a part of traditional Sri Lankan funeral rites.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MDO_7BncqKwC|title=Studying Buddhism in Practice|first=John S.|last=Harding|year=2013|publisher=[[Routledge]]|via=[[Google Books]]|isbn=978-1136501883}}</ref> === Thailand === {{anchor|faun phii}}In rural northern [[Thailand]], a religious ceremony honoring ancestral spirits known as ''Faun Phii'' ({{lang-th|ฟ้อนผี}}, lit. "spirit dance" or "ghost dance") takes place. It includes offerings for ancestors with spirit mediums sword fighting, spirit-possessed dancing, and spirit mediums [[cock fighting]] in a [[Cockfight (Sacred)|spiritual cockfight]].<ref>Marti Patel, "[http://sanuksanuk.wordpress.com/2010/11/19/trance-dancing-and-spirit-possession-in-northern-thailand/ Trance Dancing and Spirit Possession in Northern Thailand] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107093815/http://sanuksanuk.wordpress.com/2010/11/19/trance-dancing-and-spirit-possession-in-northern-thailand/ |date=2014-01-07 }}", 19 November 2010.</ref> ===Vietnam=== {{See also|Nhà thờ họ}} [[File:Vietnamese Ancestors Altar.jpg|thumb|right|A Vietnamese altar for ancestors. Note smaller Buddhist altar set higher in the upper corner]] [[File:Cung tat nien.jpg|thumb|An old man in traditional dress on the occasion of Tất niên offering]] Ancestor veneration is one of the most unifying aspects of [[Culture of Vietnam|Vietnamese culture]], as practically all Vietnamese have an ancestor altar in their home or business. In Vietnam, traditionally people did not celebrate birthdays (before Western influence), but the [[death anniversary]] of one's loved one was always an important occasion. Besides an essential gathering of family members for a banquet in memory of the deceased, incense sticks are burned along with [[Hell bank note|hell notes]], and great platters of food are made as offerings on the ancestor altar, which usually has pictures or plaques with the names of the deceased. In the case of missing persons, believed to be dead by their family, a [[Wind tomb]] is made. These offerings and practices are done frequently during important traditional or religious celebrations, the starting of a new business, or even when a family member needs guidance or counsel and is a hallmark of the emphasis Vietnamese culture places on filial duty. A significant distinguishing feature of Vietnamese ancestor veneration is that women have traditionally been allowed to participate and co-officiate ancestral rites, unlike in Chinese Confucian doctrine, which allows only male descendants to perform such rites.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rambo|first=A. Terry|title=Searching for Vietnam: selected writings on Vietnamese culture and society|publisher=Trans Pacific Press|year=2005|page=75|isbn=978-1-920901-05-9}}</ref> ==European cultures== [[Image:Spanish Cemetery.jpg|right|thumb|A scenic [[cemetery]] in rural Spain.]] In Catholic countries in Europe (continued later with the [[Anglicanism|Anglican Church in England]]), November 1 ([[All Saints' Day]]), became known and is still known as the day to specifically venerate those who have died, and who have been deemed official saints by the Church. November 2, ([[All Souls Day]]), or "The Day of the Dead", is the day when all of the faithful dead are remembered. On that day, families go to cemeteries to light candles for their dead relatives, leave them flowers, and often to picnic. The evening before All Saints'—"All Hallows Eve" or "Hallowe'en"—is unofficially the Catholic day to remember the realities of Hell, to mourn the souls lost to evil, and to remember ways to avoid Hell {{citation needed|date=February 2017}}. It is commonly celebrated in the United States and parts of the United Kingdom in a spirit of light-hearted horror and fear, which is marked by the recounting of [[Ghost story|ghost stories]], [[bonfire]]s, wearing [[Halloween costume|costumes]], carving [[jack-o'-lanterns]], and "[[trick-or-treating]]" (going door to door and begging for candy). ===Brythonic Celtic cultures=== In [[Cornwall]] and [[Wales]], the autumn ancestor festivals occur around November 1. In Cornwall the festival is known as ''[[Allantide|Kalan Gwav]]'', and in Wales as ''[[Calan Gaeaf]].''<ref name=Davies1>Davies, John; Jenkins, Nigel (2008). The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. {{ISBN|978-0-7083-1953-6}}.</ref> Modern-day [[Halloween]] is derived from these festivals.<ref name=Davies1 /> ===Gaelic Celtic cultures=== During ''[[Samhain]]'', November 1 in Ireland and Scotland, the dead are thought to return to the world of the living, and offerings of [[food]] and [[light]] are left for them.<ref name="McNeill">McNeill, F. Marian (1961, 1990) ''The Silver Bough'', Vol. 3. William MacLellan, Glasgow {{ISBN|0-948474-04-1}} pp.11-46</ref> On the festival day, ancient people would extinguish the hearth fires in their homes, participate in a community bonfire festival, and then carry a flame home from the communal fire and use it to light their home fires anew.<ref name="O'Driscoll">O'Driscoll, Robert (ed.) (1981) ''The Celtic Consciousness'' New York, Braziller {{ISBN|0-8076-1136-0}} pp. 197–216: Ross, Anne "Material Culture, Myth and Folk Memory" (on modern survivals); pp. 217–242: Danaher, Kevin "Irish Folk Tradition and the Celtic Calendar" (on specific customs and rituals)</ref> This custom has continued to some extent into modern times, in both the [[Celtic nations]] and the [[Irish diaspora|diaspora]].<ref name="Hutton">{{Cite book|last=Hutton |first=Ronald |author-link=Ronald Hutton |title=The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles: Their Nature and Legacy |publisher=Oxford, Blackwell |isbn=978-0-631-18946-6 |pages=327–341|date=1993 }}</ref> Lights in the window to guide the dead home are left burning all night.<ref name="McNeill"/> On the [[Isle of Man]] the festival is known as "old Sauin" or ''[[Hop-tu-Naa]]''.<ref name=HTN>Moore, A.W. (ed) ''Manx Ballads & Music'' (1896) G & R Johnson, Douglas.</ref> ==North America== {{more citations needed|section|date=January 2020}} In the United States and Canada, flowers, wreaths, grave decorations and sometimes candles, food, small pebbles, or items the dead valued in life are put on graves year-round as a way to honor the dead. These traditions originate in the diverse cultural backgrounds of the current populations of both countries. In the United States, many people honor deceased loved ones who were in the military on [[Memorial Day]]. Days with religious and spiritual significance like [[Easter]], [[Christmas]], [[Candlemas]], and [[All Souls' Day]], [[Day of the Dead]], or [[Samhain]] are also times when relatives and friends of the deceased may gather at the graves of their loved ones. In the [[Catholic Church]], one's local parish church often offers prayers for the dead on their death anniversary or All Souls' Day. In the United States, [[Memorial Day]] is a Federal holiday for remembering the deceased men and women who served in the nation's military, particularly those who died in war or during active service. In the 147 [[United States National Cemetery System|National Cemeteries]], like [[Arlington National Cemetery|Arlington]] and [[Gettysburg National Cemetery|Gettysburg]], it is common for volunteers to place small [[Flag of the United States|American flags]] at each grave. Memorial Day is traditionally observed on the last Monday in May, allotting for a 3-day weekend in which many memorial services and parades take place not only across the country, but in 26 [[American Battle Monuments Commission|American cemeteries on foreign soil]] (in France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Panama, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, and Tunisia). It is also common practice among veterans to memorialize fallen service members on the dates of their death. This practice is also common in other countries when remembering Americans who died in battles to liberate their towns in the [[World war|World Wars]]. One example of this is on 16 August (1944) [[Welborn Griffith|Colonel Griffith]], died of wounds from enemy action sustained in [[Lèves]], the same day he is credited with saving [[Chartres Cathedral]] from destruction. [[File:Ofrenda Tequisquiapan.jpg|thumb|Ofrenda in [[Tequisquiapan]], Mexico]] In Judaism, when a grave site is visited, [[Visitation stones|a small pebble is placed on the headstone]]. While there is no clear answer as to why, this custom of leaving pebbles may date back to biblical days when individuals were buried under piles of stones. Today, they are left as tokens that people have been there to visit and to remember.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.orchadash-tucson.org/rabbi-mourning-customs.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=2009-12-31 |archive-date=2015-07-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721132054/http://www.orchadash-tucson.org/rabbi-mourning-customs.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Americans of various religions and cultures may build a shrine in their home dedicated to loved ones who have died, with pictures of their ancestors, flowers and mementos. Increasingly, many roadside shrines may be seen for deceased relatives who died in car accidents or were killed on that spot, sometimes financed by the state or province as these markers serve as potent reminders to drive cautiously in hazardous areas. The [[Vietnam Veterans Memorial]] in Washington, D.C., is particularly known for the leaving of offerings to the deceased; items left are collected by the [[National Park Service]] and archived. Members of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] [[Baptism for the dead#LDS Church|perform posthumous baptisms]] and other rituals for their dead ancestors, along with those of other families. Native Americans were not heavily concerned with the veneration of the dead, though they were known to bury the dead with clothes and tools as well as occasionally leave food and drink at the gravesite; [[Pueblo Indians]] supported a cult of the dead which worshipped or petitioned the dead through ritualistic dances.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hultkrantz|first=Åke|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv9b2xgt|title=Belief and Worship in Native North America|date=1982|publisher=Syracuse University Press|isbn=978-1-68445-013-8|editor-last=Vecsey|editor-first=Christopher|doi=10.2307/j.ctv9b2xgt.9|jstor=j.ctv9b2xgt|access-date=2020-10-09|archive-date=2020-10-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018003921/https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv9b2xgt|url-status=live}}</ref> ==Islam== {{Unreferenced section|date=August 2020}}{{Main|Ziyarat}} Islam has a complex and mixed view on the idea of grave shrines and ancestor worship. The graves of many early Islamic figures are holy sites for Muslims, including [[Imam Ali Mosque|Ali]], and a [[Al-Baqi'|cemetery]] with many companions and early caliphs. Many other mausoleums are major architectural, political, and cultural sites, including the [[Mazar-e-Quaid|National Mausoleum]] in Pakistan and the [[Taj Mahal]] in India. However, the religious movement of [[Wahhabism]] disputes the concept of saint veneration.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Hart|first=Kimberly|date=2015|title=Emplacing Islam: Saint Veneration In Rural Turkey|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24643137|journal=Urban Anthropology and Studies of Cultural Systems and World Economic Development|volume=44|issue=1/2|pages=71–111|jstor=24643137|issn=0894-6019|access-date=2020-10-03|archive-date=2021-04-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421225023/https://www.jstor.org/stable/24643137|url-status=live}}</ref> Followers of this movement have destroyed many gravesite shrines, including in [[Destruction of early Islamic heritage sites in Saudi Arabia#Destroyed sites|Saudi Arabia]] and in territory controlled by the [[Destruction of cultural heritage by ISIL#Mosques and shrines|Islamic State]]. [[Iman Ahmad]], Al-Hakim, and others narrated about [[Marwan I|Marwan Ibn al-Hakam]]–Umayyad governor of [[Medina]]–that he once passed by the grave of the Prophet and saw a man with his cheek on the grave of the Prophet. Marwan Ibn al-Hakam asked: “Do you know what you are doing?” Nearing the grave, Marwan Ibn al-Hakam realized it was [[Abu Ayyub al-Ansari]]yy, one of the greatest companions of the Prophet. Abu Ayyub al-Ansariyy replied, “Yes, I know what I am doing. I came here for the Messenger of Allah–not for the stone.” By this he meant he was seeking the blessings from the presence of the Prophet, not for the stone covering his grave. Abu Ayyub al-Ansariyy continued his response with what he heard the Messenger of Allah say: “Do not cry over the Religion of Islam if the rulers are ruling correctly. Rather, cry over this Religion if the rulers are ruling incorrectly.” By his response, Abu Ayyub was telling Marwan Ibn al-Hakam: “You are not one of those rulers who are correctly ruling by the rules of Islam." Some followers of Islam are at odds with the concept of saint veneration, but this practice is retained in Turkey, particularly through Alevi Muslims.<ref name=":0" /> ==Ancient cultures== Ancestor worship was a prominent feature of many historical societies. ===Ancient Egypt=== {{Unreferenced section|date=August 2020}}{{Main|Ancient Egyptian funerary practices}} Although some historians claim that ancient Egyptian society was a "death cult" because of its elaborate tombs and [[Ancient Egyptian funerary practices|mummification rituals]], it was the opposite. The philosophy that "this world is but a [[vale of tears]]" and that to die and be with God is a better existence than an earthly one was relatively unknown among the ancient Egyptians. This was not to say that they were unacquainted with the harshness of life; rather, their ethos included a sense of continuity between this life and the next. The Egyptian people loved the culture, customs and religion of their daily lives so much that they wanted to continue them in the next—although some might hope for a better station in the Beautiful West (Egyptian afterlife). [[Tomb]]s were housing in the Hereafter and so they were carefully constructed and decorated, just as homes for the living were. Mummification was a way to preserve the corpse so the ''[[Ka (Egyptian soul)|ka]]'' (soul) of the deceased could return to receive offerings of the things s/he enjoyed while alive. If mummification was not affordable, a "ka-statue" in the likeness of the deceased was carved for this purpose. The Blessed Dead were collectively called the ''[[akh]]u'', or "shining ones" (singular: ''akh''). They were described as "shining as gold in the belly of Nut" (Gr. [[Nuit]]) and were indeed depicted as golden stars on the roofs of many tombs and temples. The process by which a ''ka'' became an ''akh'' was not automatic upon death; it involved a 70-day journey through the ''[[duat]]'', or Otherworld, which led to [[Divine judgment|judgment]] before Wesir (Gr. [[Osiris]]), Lord of the Dead where the ''ka’''s heart would be weighed on a scale against the Feather of [[Ma’at]] (representing Truth). However, if the ''ka'' was not properly prepared, this journey could be fraught with dangerous pitfalls and strange demons; hence some of the earliest religious texts discovered, such as the [[Papyrus of Ani]] (commonly known as [[The Book of the Dead]]) and the [[Pyramid Texts]] were actually written as guides to help the deceased successfully navigate the ''duat''. If the heart was in balance with the Feather of Ma'at, the ''ka'' passed judgment and was granted access to the Beautiful West as an ''akh'' who was ''ma’a heru'' ("true of voice") to dwell among the gods and other ''akhu''. At this point only was the ''ka'' deemed worthy to be venerated by the living through rites and offerings. Those who became lost in the ''duat'' or deliberately tried to avoid judgment became the unfortunate (and sometimes dangerous) ''mutu'', the Restless Dead. For the few whose truly evil hearts outweighed the Feather, the goddess [[Ammit]] waited patiently behind Wesir's judgment seat to consume them. She was a composite creature resembling three of the deadliest animals in Egypt: the crocodile, the hippopotamus and the lion. Being fed to Ammit was to be consigned to the Eternal Void, to be "unmade" as a ''ka''. Besides being eaten by Ammit, the worst fate a ''ka'' could suffer after physical death was to be forgotten. For this reason, ancestor veneration in [[ancient Egypt]] was an important rite of remembrance in order to keep the ''ka'' "alive" in this life as well as in the next. Royals, nobles and the wealthy made contracts with their local [[priest]]s to perform prayers and give offerings at their tombs. In return, the priests were allowed to keep a portion of the offerings as payment for services rendered. Some [[Maat#Funerary texts|tomb inscriptions]] even invited passers-by to speak aloud the names of the deceased within (which also helped to perpetuate their memory), and to offer water, prayers or other things if they so desired. In the private homes of the less wealthy, niches were carved into the walls for the purpose of housing images of familial ''akhu'' and to serve as altars of veneration. Many of these same religious beliefs and ancestor veneration practices are still carried on today in the religion of [[Kemetic Orthodoxy]]. ===Ancient Rome=== [[File:Sarcophagus death of Meleager Louvre Ma539.jpg|thumb|Detail from an early second-century Roman [[sarcophagus]] depicting the death of [[Meleager]]]] {{see also|Roman funerals and burial}} The [[ancient Rome|Romans]], like many Mediterranean societies, regarded the bodies of the dead as polluting.<ref>Michele Renee Salzman, "Religious ''koine'' and Religious Dissent," in ''A Companion to Roman Religion'' (Blackwell, 2007), p. 116.</ref> During Rome's Classical period, the body was most often cremated, and the ashes placed in a tomb outside the city walls. Much of the month of February was devoted to purifications, propitiation, and veneration of the dead, especially at the nine-day [[Roman festivals|festival]] of the [[Parentalia]] during which a family honored its ancestors. The family visited the cemetery and shared cake and wine, both in the form of offerings to the dead and as a meal among themselves. The Parentalia drew to a close on February 21 with the more somber [[Feralia]], a public festival of sacrifices and offerings to the [[Manes]], the potentially malevolent spirits of the dead who required propitiation.<ref>Salzman, "Religious ''Koine''," p. 115.</ref> One of the most common [[Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum|inscriptional phrases]] on Latin epitaphs is ''Dis Manibus'', abbreviated ''D.M,'' "for the Manes gods", which appears even on [[:File:Stele Licinia Amias Terme 67646.jpg|some Christian tombstone]]s. The [[Caristia]] on February 22 was a celebration of the family line as it continued into the present.<ref>[[William Warde Fowler]], ''The Roman Festivals of the Period of the Republic'' (London, 1908), p. 418.</ref> A [[nobiles|noble Roman family]] displayed ancestral images (''[[Roman funerals and burial#Funerary art|imagines]]'') in the tablinum of their home ''([[domus]])''. Some sources indicate these [[Roman portraiture|portraits]] were [[Roman sculpture|busts]], while others suggest that [[death mask|funeral masks]] were also displayed. The masks, probably modeled of wax from the face of the deceased, were part of the funeral procession when an elite Roman died. [[Professional mourning|Professional mourners]] wore the masks and regalia of the dead person's ancestors as the body was carried from the home, through the streets, and to its final resting place.<ref>R.G. Lewis, "Imperial Autobiography, Augustus to Hadrian," ''Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt'' II.34.1 (1993), p. 658.</ref> ==See also== {{colbegin}} * [[Anito]] * [[Ásatrú]] * [[Chinese ancestral worship]] * [[Ancestral hall|Chinese ancestral hall]] & [[Spirit tablet|Ancestral tablet]] * [[Chinese folk religion]] * [[Chinese Rites controversy|Chinese rites controversy]] * [[Communion of saints]] * [[Death anniversary]] * [[Funerary art]] * [[Funerary cult]] * [[Haus Tambaran]] * [[Ifá]] * [[Moleben|Molieben]] * [[Bon Festival]] * [[Qingming Festival]] * [[Shamanism]] * [[Transfer of merit]] * [[Ullambana]] * [[Zhong Yuan Festival]] {{colend}} == References == {{Reflist}} ==External links== * [http://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/online/teen/default.htm Smithsonian: Ancestor Worship Today] {{Ancient Egyptian religion footer|collapsed}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Veneration Of The Dead}} [[Category:Veneration of the dead| ]] [[Category:Anthropology]] [[Category:Death customs]] [[Category:Chinese folk religion]] [[Category:Anthropology of religion]] [[Category:Filial piety]] [[Category:Confucian rites]] [[Category:Taoist practices]] [[Category:Shinto]] [[Category:Buddhist belief and doctrine]]'