What does the ancestral temple mean? Explain.

What does the ancestral temple mean? Explain.

What does the ancestral temple mean? There are many cultural and religious beliefs in China since ancient times, and ancestral temples have been preserved in many places, but many young friends may not know much about ancestral temples. Let's take a look at the explanation of what ancestral temple means.

What does the ancestral temple mean? 1 The ancestral hall is a place where people worship their ancestors or sages. Ancestral temples have many uses. Apart from worshipping ancestors, grandchildren of different families are often used as places for activities when they are dealing with things such as marriage, funeral, longevity and happiness. In addition, the clansmen sometimes use the ancestral hall as a meeting place to discuss important affairs within the clan.

In ancient Confucian ethics in China, the concept of family is quite profound. Often a family or several families with the same surname live in a village, and most of them build their own temples to worship their ancestors.

Family temples are generally called ancestral temples. Ancestral halls can be divided into ancestral halls, branch halls and family halls. The name of the ancestral temple first appeared in the Han Dynasty. At that time, ancestral halls were built in tombs, called tombs. The book Family Rites written by Zhu, an outstanding philosopher in the Southern Song Dynasty, began to establish the ancestral temple system, and from then on he called the family ancestral temple the ancestral temple. At that time, the construction level of ancestral halls was limited, and people were not allowed to set up ancestral halls.

By the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1522- 1566), all Xu people had joined the temple. Later, when you became an emperor or gave Hou a surname, you could call it a family temple, and the rest were called ancestral temples.

architectural feature

Ancestral temples have many uses besides offering sacrifices to ancestors. The ancestral hall is also the place where clan leaders exercise clan rights. Anyone who violates clan rules will be educated, dealt with and even expelled from the ancestral hall, so it can also be said to be a moral court in feudal times. Ancestral temples can also be used as social places for families.

Some ancestral temples have affiliated schools where children of ethnic minorities go to school. Because of this, ancestral temple buildings are generally larger and of better quality than residential buildings. The more powerful and wealthy families, the more exquisite their ancestral halls are. The tall hall, exquisite carvings and excellent materials have become the symbol of this family's glory.

Most ancestral halls have hall numbers. The hall number, written by the great calligrapher surnamed Zong, was made into a gold plaque and hung high in the main hall; Next to it are plaques on the origin of surnames, ethnic pride and female chastity, and exquisite couplets. If it is sealed by the emperor, you can make a straight plaque. The specifications and quantity of plaques in the ancestral hall are the capital that the people show off.

Some ancestral halls have flagpole stones in front of them, indicating that the people have won fame. Generally speaking, ancestral halls have surnames and shrines. In the old society, clan rules were very strict, not to mention foreign surnames, that is, women or underage children in the clan were not allowed to enter without authorization, otherwise they would be severely punished.

Present situation of ancestral temple

After liberation, especially during the movement in the 1960s, ancestral halls in northern China were basically demolished, smashed or converted into office buildings. Ancestor ranking, including some genealogies hidden in it, was basically burned. Now it's hard to see ancestral temples in the north, and many people don't know why and what they are used for.

In the south, such as Fujian, Guangdong, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Hunan and so on. More ancestral temples have been preserved.

What does the ancestral temple mean? 2. What is a ancestral temple?

The ancestral temple is an extension of the 5,000-year history and culture of the Chinese nation, a symbol of Confucian culture and a carrier of surname culture. It records the glorious history and tradition of a family, is the place where ancestors are buried and their descendants worship their ancestors, is the place where important clan activities are held, and is also a shrine to educate future generations to fear life, regulate behavior, punish evil and promote good.

Ancestral hall, also known as ancestral hall, ancestral hall, ancestral home, ancestral hall and ancestral hall, is a clan organization formed by the unity of blood groups and regional organizations born of the same clan. It is a place built independently outside the living room to worship ancestors, worship family ancestors, respect sages and pray for God, and it is the resting place of ancestors.

The ancestral temple is a living cultural relic on the earth, an authentic "national quintessence" of China, and the most unique "Chinese seal" of one side; The ancestral hall "interprets the civilization of the times in its own way", leaving many precious historical and cultural heritages to future generations; Ancestral temples water the roots of the family, water the ancestors, have deep roots and respect the world. The ancestral temple has become a place where we worship our ancestors.

Walking into the ancestral temple, it seems that the common words spoken by ancestors and their familiar footsteps, as well as their emotions and even the sound of heartbeat and breathing, are scattered in every corner of the ancestral temple, full of the taste of home. There, China people can find our roots and see their "birthmarks". After thousands of years of merits and demerits, the ancestral hall can be seen; China's ancestors, from the ancestral temple, knew that there was a family tree.

An ancestral temple, like a mother, has gone through many vicissitudes, but it has always been a place that children all over the world yearn for. There, there is the previous atmosphere and our old rules; There is an ancestral memorial tablet dedicated to Mari Amachi; There, the blood kept flowing.

Second, the ancestral temple:

China is an ancient civilization with a unique traditional culture and a long history. As an important part of local folk culture, ancestral temple culture began to sprout in Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties after the disintegration of clan commune thousands of years ago. The name of ancestral hall formally appeared in the Han Dynasty, formed a relatively complete system in the Song Dynasty, and reached its peak in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Through the function of respecting ancestors, the clan embodies the fundamental principles of the feudal patriarchal clan system and shows the supreme privilege of the clan.

The ancestral temple is a sacred place for clan sacrifice, symbolizing the unity of the clan. Some people also understand the ancestral temple as the home of the dead ancestors, the place where the gods gather and the place where they worship the ancestors' gods.

In a sense, the prosperity of ancestral temple culture reflects the social stability and economic development in this historical period, and it is the concrete embodiment of political clarity and peace and prosperity.

Third, the architectural features of the ancestral temple

Ancestral temple buildings are generally larger in scale and better in quality than residential buildings. The more powerful and wealthy families, the more exquisite their ancestral halls are. The tall hall, exquisite carvings and excellent materials have become the symbol of this family's glory.

Ancestral temples are often built on a treasure trove of geomantic omen, and there must be a "backer" behind them, with hills as a barrier, surrounded by several or a dozen towering ancient trees, and surrounded by blood villages where families with the same surname live together.

Between green mountains and green waters, the ancestral temple is towering, with blue bricks and gray tiles, carved beams and painted buildings, antique and beautiful, just like bright pearls, which makes people fascinated.

(1) Ancestral Temple buildings include gates, gatehouses, pleasure halls, worship halls, stage, sleeping halls and library buildings. It is a place for the whole nation to sacrifice, and it is also a place for etiquette education with the theme of respecting the ancestors and the elderly and focusing on spiritual education.

(2) Hall numbers of ancestral halls: Most ancestral halls have hall numbers. The hall number is written by a great calligrapher of clan or surname, made into a gold plaque and hung high in the main hall; There are other plaques hanging next to it, such as the origin of surnames, the glory of people and the chastity of women;

Banners such as "Zonggong Zude is far-reaching, children and grandchildren are now prosperous" are often engraved on the gate of the ancestral temple. If it is sealed by the emperor, you can make a straight plaque. The specifications and quantity of plaques in the ancestral hall are the capital that the people show off.

Some ancestral halls have flagpole stones in front of them, indicating that the people have won fame. Here, quality and virtue are the most important, more important than anything else. This requires a kind of inheritance and looks forward to a kind of hope.

For a long time, farming, reading, heirloom and innocence are family precepts that we must abide by and deeply understand. Benevolence, virtue, loyalty, filial piety and honesty are the basis for educating future generations to be a man all the time, and to regulate their words and deeds with "virtue" in everything.

(3) The ancestral property of the clan is the public property of the whole clan. Most of them were donated by people from all walks of life in the clan, and some of them were part of the clan's heritage or nobles who were knighted and given farmland. Ancestors vary in size. One of its main uses is to help the poor. It was a main form of social welfare guarantee in ancient times, and its key point was to reunite clans materially and economically.

What does the ancestral temple mean? Explain the classification of ancestral halls:

Since ancient times, there have been two types of ancestral halls. One is the shrine, ancestral hall and ancestral hall where the ancestors of the emperor worship their ancestors. They are distributed in scenic spots and historical sites all over the country, with memorial attribute as the main attribute, followed by blood relationship and regional attribute.

The other is the ancestral hall with close blood relationship and geographical relationship as its main attributes, which is the place for the whole family to worship their ancestors, with the function of ancestor worship as the main function and the function of other clan activities. This kind of ancestral temple is a widely distributed type in China. The so-called clans live together, and each clan has its own ancestral temple. Every surname should establish an ancestral temple to protect its ancestors.

It was extremely developed in China's feudal family society, but it was based on agricultural economy and characterized by farming and reading culture, so it was not only in prosperous towns, but also in closed and barren villages and mountains, or in developed rural cities.

As long as there are residential settlements and cottages formed by regional organizations or groups with the same surname and blood, there must be ancestral halls. Although there are different forms of ancestral temples, they are always distributed in a scattered overall pattern, which is the basic feature of ancestral temples in China.

Ancestral temples can be divided into official temples, public temples and folk ancestral temples. Ancestral shrines are divided into general shrines, branch shrines, sub-shrines and enjoyment halls according to family population; There are also some special forms of ancestral temples, such as walking shrines, female shrines, special shrines and special shrines.

1, home temple: an ancestral temple built by a family in the old days to worship their ancestors. In the past, every family had a family shrine, which was a place for modern family members to worship their ancestors. Generally speaking, there is a shrine in the hall or at home to worship ancestral tablets below great-grandfather. Generally speaking, ancestors who don't wear five clothes, that is, those within five generations are relatives, and those outside five clothes are relatives.

Ancestors and grandparents outside Five Blessingg can't enjoy the incense of family sacrifice.

2. Ancestral hall: Ancestral hall can be divided into ancestral hall and branch hall. It is a place for ancestor worship and activities, as well as a place for family propaganda, family rules and regulations, and banquets. Ancestral temples are ancestral temples built by descendants of various ethnic groups to worship their ancestors and their late sons and grandchildren, and one ancestral temple is dedicated in several counties or even larger administrative areas;

Zhimiao is a ancestral temple built by all parties in the clan to worship the direct ancestors of each room. Even in a village, there are many branches. A family just started to build a general temple, and then various tribes prospered and built their own sub-temples. And if the branch ancestral hall is built according to certain regulations, so is the sacrifice.

3. Ancestral Temple: Generally, ancestral halls are dedicated to both male ancestors and female ancestors. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, some clans in Huizhou built female shrines to worship their hostess. In the feudal era when men were superior to women, women were out of touch with ancestral temples.

Throughout the country, without exception, women are forbidden to enter ancestral halls, but there is a ancestral hall specially built for women-Qingyitang, which is dedicated to thrifty, loyal and sober Bao women.

4. Special shrine: refers to a shrine set up for a specific person or god. Ancient people had great merits. Defeng Shen Hao built a temple. A ancestral temple dedicated to the memorial tablet of dutiful son and educating future generations to cultivate self-cultivation and self-cultivation.

The shrine is dedicated to a celebrity, and it is not the hometown of this celebrity, so it is called a shrine.

6. Dedicated Temple: Any big ancestral hall has two attached buildings, one is Wenchang Pavilion and the other is dedicated temple. This special shrine is dedicated to those ancestors who burned incense.

7. Changfangxiangtang: As the name implies, Changfangxiangtang is an independent hall dedicated to the grandsons of past dynasties next to the ancestral hall.

8. Double surname temple: it is a ancestral temple dedicated to two surnames. It is rare, but it does exist.

The function of ancestral temple:

(1) At first, the basic function of ancestral hall was to offer sacrifices to ancestors.

(2) Ancestral temples are places where people compose music and study culture.

(3) The ancestral hall is a classroom for preaching and educating people by etiquette.

(4) Ancestral temples are places where people discuss and implement family laws.

(5) Affiliated schools for minority children to attend school here.

(6) The ancestral hall is a social place for families.