What are the traditional sacrificial rituals? Since when did it continue?

Sacrifice can be divided into ancestor worship and various ghosts and gods worship. Sacrifice originated in Shang Dynasty. Businessmen believed that ghosts and gods had great authority and could determine people's fate, so they respected ghosts and gods very much. They divide ghosts and gods into three categories: gods, earthly areas and human ghosts, and take human ghosts-ancestors as the main objects of worship. They think that although the ancestors died, the soul still exists, which can bring disaster and blessing to future generations. Therefore, they make a daily schedule and make religious sacrifices. This concept of ancestor worship has continued to this day, forming the characteristics of our culture.

Furthermore, Ding Lan (one of the twenty-four filial piety) made a living by chopping wood in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and she often complained and angered repeatedly because her mother failed to deliver meals on time. One day, seeing the crow feed back the kindness, she met her mother and went forward. The mother didn't understand her move. In panic, she threw herself into the river. Ding Lan's rescue was not as good as that of a tree, so she worshipped it day and night as her mother. This filial piety spread among the people and also formed the origin of people's custom of worshipping their ancestors in the future.

Ancestor worship has been an ancient festival with profound significance for thousands of years. According to historical records, during the Qin and Han Dynasties, the tomb sacrifice has become an indispensable ritual activity. According to the biography of Yan Yannian in Han Dynasty, Yan will "return to the East China Sea to sweep the grave" in Qingming even if he leaves Beijing for thousands of miles. With the more and more strong ancestor worship and kinship consciousness, tomb sacrifices in ancient times were not included in the standard, but also included in the "five rites". Later, the admiration of the court also made tomb sacrifices more popular.

Characteristics

The significance of ancestor worship is to pursue the future with caution, which has a long history and is expected to be prosperous for descendants. Therefore, when acting, it is serious, grand, respectful and sincere, all from China's traditional ethical thoughts. In the history of our country, the era of the Yellow Emperor was the era when Chinese civilization began to create greatly, and the Yellow Emperor was respected as the ancestor of humanity by later generations. "The Yellow Emperor collapsed and buried Qiaoshan" is the Huangdi Mausoleum in Qiaoshan, huangling county, Shaanxi Province today. Every year during the Qingming Festival, the Huangdi Mausoleum is sacrificed here.

Paying attention to ancestor worship is a remarkable feature of ancient etiquette in China. This is because the ancients believed that offering sacrifices to ancestors has a good social education function, which is helpful to cultivate the moral character of social members, strengthen the unity among social members and maintain the stability of patriarchal society.