The significance of worshiping ancestors is to be cautious about the end and pursue the future. It also expresses the long history and hopes for the prosperity of descendants. Therefore, when acting, it is solemn, solemn, respectful and sincere, all derived from traditional Chinese ethical thoughts. In the history of our country, the Yellow Emperor's era was the era when Chinese civilization began to create great things. The Yellow Emperor is respected by future generations as the first ancestor of humanities. "The Yellow Emperor died and was buried in Qiaoshan", which is the Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor in Qiaoshan, Huangling County, Shaanxi Province today. Every year during the Qingming Festival, sacrifices to the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum are held here.
The emphasis on worshiping ancestors is a distinctive feature of Chinese etiquette. This is because ancestor worship has a good social enlightenment function, which helps to cultivate the moral character of social members, strengthen unity among social members, and maintain the stability of the patriarchal society.
The two books "Tao Te Ching" ("Laozi") and "Zhuangzi" of the pre-Qin Taoist school illustrate the possible contradictions between ritual forms and the nature of heaven from the negative side, revealing the shortcomings of etiquette. Laozi and Zhuangzi criticized the cumbersome etiquette as violating human nature, and advocated that the restoration of etiquette did not produce the simple natural nature of the predecessors. The "Tao Te Ching" believes that etiquette came into being in the era after the abandonment of "morality". Its famous saying is: "Therefore, if you lose morality, you will be virtuous; if you lose virtue, you will be benevolent; if you lose benevolence, you will be righteous; if you lose righteousness, you will be li. And the head of chaos.” "Zhuangzi" inherits "Laozi"'s concept of etiquette. The book "Zhuangzi" records that when Lao Tzu passed away, his good friend Qin Shi came to mourn him. Unlike ordinary people who mourn and cry bitterly, Qin Shi "came out on the third day." If someone doesn't understand, ask him. He explained that when a person is born, it can be said to be born at the right time; when a person dies, it can be said to be in accordance with fate. As long as a person "lives in peace and harmony, and cannot enter into sorrow or joy," how can he feel grief? This shows that Laozi and Zhuangzi advocated transcending the constraints of etiquette forms in real life through their profound understanding of the natural "way of heaven". They even believed that the normal emotions expressed by etiquette were not necessary and that everything should be allowed to take its course. The criticism of etiquette by Lao, Zhuang and others was an important reason why our country's later etiquette forms were not completely deified, but retained some rational elements.
Mindset Editor
Many Chinese people have inherited the tradition of ancestor worship. Ancestor worship is based on very complex psychological effects. There are three types of mentality:
First, due to the fear of the undead, they are afraid that if they do not sacrifice their ancestors properly, they will be stingy and punish their descendants.
2. In order to seek blessings from the ancestors, I hope that the ancestors will protect their descendants and solve their problems.
3. Influenced by Confucianism, drinking water remembers its source, and worshiping ancestors out of filial piety.
Chinese Filial Piety Garden
Chinese Filial Piety Garden
Chinese Filial Piety Garden is located in Wujin Taihu Bay Tourist Resort, Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, facing Taihu Lake and backed by Polygonum (Polygonum). lù é) Mountain, covering an area of ??more than 860 acres. The park aims to promote filial piety and features ancestor worship culture and Guanyin culture. It is a comprehensive scenic spot that integrates root-seeking ancestor worship, tourism and filial piety education. There are ancestral temples with profound cultural heritage, Chinese Filial Piety Museum, Jingcheng Lake, and other scenic spots, as well as various fully functional service facilities.
The Ancestral Temple in the Chinese Filial Piety Garden is a comprehensive ancestral hall that integrates national sacrifices and family sacrifices. In addition to worshiping the common ancestors of the Chinese nation, the common people can also worship here. Here, we commemorate our ancestors and pay homage to our ancestors by enshrining their rebirth lotus tablets. There are a total of 105 ancestral halls in the hall. The ancestors of the top 100 surnames in the country are worshiped in single rooms, and there are 5 comprehensive ancestral halls for other surnames.