The concept of ancestor worship originated from the ancient concept of ghosts and gods. Ancestors were regarded as gods, ancestors who created surnames, ancestors with meritorious surnames or founders of immigrants were worshipped as objects, and sacrifices were offered for a long time. Like other areas, Hakka ancestor worship mainly includes ancestor memorial tablet worship (shrine sacrifice) and ancestor grave worship (grave sacrifice).
Ancestor sacrifice refers to the worship of ancestors and their nearest ancestors, parents, etc. Ancestral halls and surnames in ancestral halls. Hakka ancestral halls are mostly hall-style structures, which are divided into single hall, two halls and three halls according to their size. The main entrance leads directly to the lobby, and the upper hall is dedicated to ancestral tablets and paintings. Whenever an ancestor worship activity is held, a hall number is affixed to the lantern above the ancestral hall gate or at the entrance of the indoor ancestral hall, and hall couplets are affixed to both sides of the door to show ancestral home or prosperous place. Generally, a surname has a hall number, but there are also minority surnames with different legends about ancestors, and there are multiple hall numbers. Tang Lian reflects the highest rank or achievement obtained by the ancestors of this clan. Hakka's hall number and hall couplet are actually abbreviations of surname genealogy. At the time of ancestor worship, people of all ages change clothes and take a bath, and rush to the ancestral temple to grab the first incense. After all the people arrived, the people gathered together to pay homage to their ancestors under the singing ceremony presided over by the special ceremony students. Ancestor worship includes pig head, fish, chicken, tea, wine, rice fruit and so on. There are dozens or even hundreds of Ge Zheng products. After the sacrifice, please ask the famous patriarch to speak, tell the genealogy, and tell the origin, lineage and ancestral training of his surname. The time for ancestor worship varies from place to place, usually after lunch on New Year's Eve or in the morning on New Year's Eve. In some places, it is held quarterly, some regularly, and some celebrate holidays or worship ancestors on the first and fifteenth day of the first month. In other places, you have to worship your ancestors every time you get married. The day before the bride gets married, parents should worship their ancestors and bless their daughters. On the wedding day of the bride, the father and the daughter go to the ancestral temple to worship their ancestors, and they can only get on the sedan chair after the ceremony. Children who are away from home will hold ancestor worship within three days to show filial piety.
From the ancestor worship activities of Hakkas, it can be seen that the worship of ancestors by Hakkas is to regard ancestors as protectors and pray for their protection, so as to protect their descendants, thus using worship activities to praise their virtues and pray for their protection. Therefore, every big festival, everyone will get together to remember their ancestors and encourage future generations.
Tomb sacrifice refers to the sacrificial activities held by a family and a surname on the graves of their ancestors. Most tombs in Hakka areas are held in Tomb-Sweeping Day. Tomb-Sweeping Day of Hakkas varies in size, and Tomb-Sweeping Day in March is called "Little Tomb-Sweeping Day". "Jiaying County Records" says: "The first day of August is called great Qingming. Or Qingming does not sacrifice, it must be sacrificed to Daqing Ming. " In addition to Tomb-Sweeping Day's tomb sacrifice, the Hakkas also have a tomb sacrifice called "Great Tomb-Sweeping Day". Xiao Minji, written by Zhou Lianggong in the Qing Dynasty, recorded: "The Minjiang Music Association will be naturalized, with a small Qingming in March and a big Qingming in August. Exhibition of tombs is rarely wasted, and no one dares to waste it. To Geng Yin, Mid-Autumn, crossing the land, under the flame mountain, the soil is red, paper money is everywhere, and the snow is like Xia Ru. Write "Da Qing Ming Qu": You can know your old age in a lonely grave, and a short bamboo is better than August. Red soil, pine and snow-colored paper, Zhou Yong made a great Qingming. At the foot of Yinping Mountain, a new curtain has been opened, and the fruits of oak trees will thrive. Dare to admit that the spring breeze is very small, and those who sleep peacefully are also afraid of the sound of autumn. Skeletons want to compete for gold, but ghosts are not blind in the spring and autumn. Don't forget the clouds, the old grave is not as good as the small grave. "
Hakka people attach great importance to grave sacrifice, even more grand than temple sacrifice. Many clans have explicit provisions on tomb sacrifices, which are written into the genealogy for the clansmen to follow. For example, the ninth clan member of Huang clan in Jiaocheng Town, Jiaoling County is "building a tomb", saying: "The tomb contains the souls of ancestors, so it is advisable to sweep the graves once a year, sweep the hazelnuts and remove the mud. Don't dig, don't expose, and cause the resentment of the ancestors to spread. " Xu also attached great importance to the tomb sacrifice in Jiaoling. As early as the third generation, Xu Zhuzhai, his ancestor, was worried that future generations would forget the merits and demerits of his ancestors, so he wrote the rules and regulations of his ancestors' tomb sacrifice into his genealogy. The article said, "Stealing a person's body must depend on his father and ancestors, so his father and ancestors must choose the beauty of the land to be buried, then the gods will be safe and the descendants will be prosperous. ..... both buried in the ground, when the sacrifice in the tomb. I'm afraid that there will be many descendants in the future, telling stories to each other and lacking tomb sacrifices. Today, I will take turns offering sacrifices according to the number of rooms. Every year since Tomb-Sweeping Day, the ancestors who started their business and persisted in it are all inferior sacrifices, so as not to be out of order and the gods will enjoy themselves. If God is safe, then people are also safe; If people are at peace, then all the blessings will be achieved and faith will be carried out. If someone dares to disobey, he won't sacrifice at the right time. Xu Hezu will punish him for offering sacrifices to the public, and will compensate him for the sacrifices in the future as a warning. Or there may be a sacrifice, let the descendants of Gong Ke officials pursue the distance, regardless of this restriction. When officials return to China, they do not worship their ancestors first, and they have no intention to repay their kindness. They are considered unfilial. "
The activities of the tomb sacrifice are well organized, with someone in charge, commonly known as the first thing. In the old society, all funds were consumed by the public taste of the clan. Now people donate money to raise money. Its sacrifices include pigs, sheep, wine, olives, rice and rice. , carried by Ge Zheng. Before and after the Spring Festival every year, not only people from home and rural areas will attend, but also people who have moved to other places, other counties and even overseas will come back to pay homage. There are dozens or hundreds of "Ge Zheng" worshipping their ancestors, and there are hundreds of ethnic minorities. For example, the Tomb-Sweeping Day ancestral cemetery of the Xu family in Jiaocheng is very grand. When traveling, Xu's big lanterns, colorful lanterns, golden drums and flutes are in front, followed by three housekeepers. There are four bowls of sea cucumber, shark's fin, bird's nest, roast pig, double chicken, double goose, double duck and sheep, and nearly one hundred tons of flowers, ginseng tea, cakes and fruits, which are very rich. When offering sacrifices to ancestors, there are special etiquette and greetings. After the ceremony, we have dinner together in front of the grave. Then line up to go home.
Some clans have restored so-called feng shui treasures such as ancestral graves to be tall and majestic, so that future generations can admire and worship them. For example, the tomb of ancestor Xu in Jiaocheng is located at the foot of Yanqi Mountain in the ravine of Xingfu Township, east-west, and is called "Yanziliang". The tomb head is 1.7 m high and 1.73 m wide, and the tomb hall is 6.4 m wide and 9.3 m long. Side by side with it is the tomb of his wife Tian. The head of the tomb is1.85m high and1.75m wide, and the tomb hall is 7m wide and 9.4m long, made of granite. The tomb of Wende and his wife, the sixth ancestor of Laixing in Jiaocheng, is located in Shatianling, Changtan Township. In ancient times, it was called "the wind blows Luodai", and it was the tomb in the early Ming Dynasty. Local people all think this is a good place for geomantic omen. In 32 years of the Republic of China (1943), it was rebuilt, with a large tomb hall and a high tomb head, making it the highest ancient tomb in zhenping county. The tomb head is1.75m high and the incense table is1.4m high. The whole tomb covers an area of about 200 square meters, and the tomb hall and table can hold more than ten or twenty tables. This is a rare ancient tomb.
Hakka ancestors not only worship ancestral tablets and graves, but also worship ancestor idols or portraits.