Last month I was invited by The Temple Chairperson of Dongshan to participate in the celebration of its annual thanksgiving activities. The temple is located at Pingtan County in Fujian Province. Pingtan County is formed by not less than 100 small islands with a total area of approximately 300 square kilometers. It is understood that one of the main island namely Hai Tan is now the largest island in Fujian Province of mainland China. Amongst the small built taoist shrines and temples within the vicinity of Pingtan County, Dongshan Temple is an unique religious place that constructed in a middle of the mountain. The total land area is 51 m length, width 12 m, and it is completed in the year 2006. The main deity of this temple is Lord Wang of the Qing Dynasty. The temple has attracted many pilgrims and also a recognized taoist temple in Pingtan County. Apart from the thanksgiving rituals conducted by Taoist Priests, the temple has also invited a group of entertainers to perform northern fujian traditional music. At noon, all devotees led by the temple chairperson made their prayers to Lord Wang and to seek its blessing and protection. After the ceremony, all attendees and village's senior folks enjoyed themselves with sumptuous lunch provided by the temple. At night, an opera troupe from Fuzhou City in Fujian Province staged some interesting repertoire for the villagers and it was crowded with people bustling here and there.
Ancestor worship is based on the belief that the bereaved family members of a deceased have a continued existence and possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living. Early forms of ancestor worship were deeply rooted and extensively developed by the Late Neolithic Period in China. With the teaching of Confucianism and Taoism, religious traditions such as ancestor worship are becoming part and parcel of the daily activity of our Chinese descendant. The goal of ancestor worship is to ensure the ancestors' continued well-being in the netherworld and sometimes to ask for special favour or assistance. The social function of ancestor worship is to cultivate kinship values like filial piety, family loyalty, and continuity of the family lineage. Rituals of ancestor worship commonly consist of offerings to a deceased and to provide for its welfare in the afterlife, which is envisioned as being similar to the earthly life. Ancestor worship begins at a deceased kin's f
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