Qin Dongkui speaks on the correct way to perform remote ancestor sacrifices

Qin Dongkui on the correct way to worship ancestors

Part 1: Why do we need to worship our ancestors remotely?

In Chinese traditional culture, "ancestor worship" has always been a very important traditional cultural activity. Sacrificing ancestors is part of Chinese culture and an integral part of our food culture.

Whether it's the traditional ancestor worship at the time of the lunar calendar, or the current hundred taboos worship, it all reflects our admiration and gratitude to our ancestors. And when you can't make physical sacrifices, it's also a very meaningful way to honor your ancestors by paying tribute to them remotely.

Part 2: The Proper Way to Remote Sacrifice Your Ancestors

Anciently, the saying goes, "If your ancestors are thick, your children and grandchildren will flourish." Ancestor worship is an expression of admiration for the ancestors and the trust of the family prosperity. The same is true of remote ancestral worship, although there is no solemn atmosphere of the scene of sacrifice, but we still need to follow certain norms, in order to better express the feelings of our hearts.

The following aspects need to be taken into account when making remote offerings:

Picking the right time: the Ching Ming Festival, the Chinese New Year Festival, and the anniversary of the ancestor's memorial service are all very suitable times to make remote offerings.

Prepare offerings: Generally speaking, you can prepare white rice, fruits, pastries and other foods as offerings. But be careful to avoid putting in spicy and irritating foods.

Prepare the utensils for offering: you need to prepare utensils such as incense burner, incense, offering plate, etc. for the ritual.

Prepare the musical instruments needed for the ritual: you can choose gongs, drums and other instrumental music to play, as well as to embellish the atmosphere.

Choose a suitable place: you can perform remote ancestor worship at home, parks, cemeteries and other locations.

Part 3: How to conduct the ritual?

When carrying out remote ancestor worship, the host first needs to be in front of the memorial wall, offer the place clear incense, burn a pile of incense, kowtow once, kowtow three times to pay homage, and then say the meaning of the ritual text, and then place the offerings in the offering plate. After the sacrifice is finished, the offerings are buried somewhere in the yard.

In addition, there are ways to sing and recite sutras and play instrumental music to express our admiration and gratitude to our ancestors.

Part 4: How can we remember our ancestors in our daily lives?

Not only do we perform remote worship of our ancestors at specific times, but we can also remember our ancestors in our daily lives:

Establishing an ancestor shrine case: the effigy of an ancestor will be placed on a red cloth-covered wooden board in the main room.

Telling the family tree: so that family members can understand their family history and heritage and know which branch they are descended from.

Passing on the culture: to pass on the culture, customs and traditions of the ancestors.

Part V: Conclusion

The remote ancestor worship is a way to express our respect and gratitude to our ancestors. Conducting remote ancestor worship in the right way not only expresses our emotions, but also gives us a deeper understanding of our family history and heritage. At the same time, remembering our ancestors in our daily life is also a very good traditional culture, which allows us to better inherit and carry forward the excellent Chinese cultural traditions.