Ancestor Veneration
by Yulianna Torres
Ancestor Veneration is a custom where the deceased ancestors are venerated and are believed to have the ability to intervene in the lives of the living. The ancestors are a part of the family are considered a part of the family. The dead are usually prepared for their trip to the after world with special ceremonies and customs. These customs may include mummification, giving of amulets or symbolic items, purification, and dressing in special garments. The positions the dead are laid on their resting site can vary from civilizations. The dead may be buried, simply laid on the site, cremated, kept in specially designed crates, mummified and left for public display, or laid on a risen bed inside a building. The way the body is facing or positioned also varies greatly. The body may be extended, crouched, or sitting and is usually faced towards a direction of great importance. An action of mourning and ceremony intended for remembering the now deceased is usually accompanied after the disposal of the corpse. Ceremonies of worship or visitings are followed after the disposal of the corpse. These ceremonies/visitings may include offerings of food and precious metals, human sacrifices, and prayers of help and goodwill in afterlife. The dead were seen as still being able to affect the living therefore the living treat the dead with high respect and actions full of praise.
Africa
Traditional African religions see death as a continuation of life but with different conditions. Ancestors are seen as the bridge to the spirit world and must be pleased or else sickness and misfortune will be brought upon. Death rituals are very important, detailed, and strict; this is to ensure that the dead don't bother the living. When a person dies they are taken out of a hole in the wall, usually feet first, of the house instead of the door. This hole is then closed. On the way to the burial site, the carriers may zigzag, go through thorns, and build barriers around the burial site. All this is done in order to prevent the dead from remembering the way back to the living. Once the corpse has been buried, a ceremony will occur. Personal belongings are usually buried with the corpse and are set there for the purpose of assisting the dead on his journey. An ox may be killed for the purpose of accompanying the deceased. Then after a period of time ranging from three month to two years after the funeral, another animal is killed. The slaying of the animal is to guide the ancestor to his family and home in order for the ancestor to protect the family. Shrines and altars are built in their honor. They are usually just a marker in a private courtyard. Ancestors are mainly used as a bridge to the spirit world and is believed that a human can receive spiritual power and guidance. In order to become an ancestor a person must have high moral values, achieve social distinction, and have lived the full measure of life. Ancestors were frequently dedicated offerings in their honor in order to receive his blessing on a certain event. These events could include events of high importance such as weddings, births, and deaths, but can also include small events such as getting a new job or finishing university. Cows, sheeps, or chickens could be slaughtered because it is believed that blood is the vital force that sustains life. An ancestor is never believed to go to an underworld or a heaven. An ancestor's place of stay is almost a parallel world yet without pain and hunger. The ancestors never really perish from existence unless descendents die and the memory of who the ancestor was dies with them. Then it is said that the soul will lose individuality and become part of a pool of unknown immortals.
North Africans such as the Egyptian performed mummification and the preparation of this depended on wealth. People such as slaves and middle class were simply buried in a sandy or dry spot curled up in a fetal position. The wealthier were usually mummified. This long process begins with the washing of the corpse with palm wine and rinsing with water from the Nile. The body is then cut on the left side and the organs are taken out of the body, washed, and placed in bag of natron (a salt used to dehydrate). The heart is not taken out of the body as it is believed to be the center of intelligence and emotion, and will be needed in the afterlife. A hook is then inserted through the nose which smashes and takes out the brain. The body is then covered and stuffed with natron and left to dehydrate for a time period of forty days. The body is then washed again and covered with oils in order to make the body elastic. The body is then stuffed with dry materials in order to resemble a lifelike figure. The corpse is then covered with oils of beautiful scents and covered in linen. The organs are then placed in canopic jars and amulets are placed with the now covered mummy. A priest reads out spells and chants that will help the mummy in the afterlife and to ward of evil spirits. The hands and feet are then tied together and "The Book of Dead" is placed between its hands. A cloth is then wrapped around the mummy and a portrait of Osiris is then painted on the surface. The mummy is then placed inside a coffin and then inside another coffin. The coffin is then placed upon an ornamental sledge while two mourning women sit next to it. A priest then pours libiations and burning incense and then the coffin is carried away by mourning family and friends. A ritual called "Opening of the Mouth" is then done in order for it to breath, see, eat, and drink. The coffins are then placed inside a sarcophagus and sometimes placed inside pyramids. Pictures were painted outside of the Sarcophagus to record the features of the deceased and to form his ka. Pyramids were designed to represent the climb that the soul has to make in order to reach 'Ra' the sun god. The inside consisted of a chamber for the pharaoh's treasure and belongings, his burial chamber, a Queen's chamber, air shafts, and a subterranean chamber. The soul of the man or women mummified was said to reach 'Ra' by boat and through a staircase, yet there are monsters that the soul must battle and enchantments needed in order to open gates. Once the soul got past this he would be judged by his actions on Earth, and if his heart was pure he would be granted access to the "Fields of Reeds". Ceremonies were often held to honor the Great Pharaohs and the Gods. They were usually held inside temples and huge feasts were held in their honor. Temples or chapels were also made in order to preserve the memory of the dead. These buildings contained portrait images of the deceased and offerings of food and drink were made regularly.
The Mediterranean
When a person died it was believed that their soul would travel to a realm of death where it could either live miserably, in eternal suffering, or paradise. The dead were usually buried in cementaries. Some gravestones, such as the ones in Athens, are sculptured and show the grief that the death feel on their departure. A farewell is sometimes added and the deceased is often shown doing a common action for the last time. Usually only the name, parentage, and a short inscription is engraved. The dead were placed with a coin in their mouth, honey cake, and sometimes a gold leaf paper with directions to the underworld. Sometimes burials would be accompanied by a human sacrifice and were for the purpose of providing the deceased with servants or companions in the after life. The dead were said to travel to the underworld and take a boat across the River Styx/Acheron for the price of a gold coin. The honey cake was then used to tame the guard of the underworld, Cerberus. The boat's destination is an eternal realm of dead leaded by a horrible monarch( Hades, Pluto, or Nergel). Once in the realm, the soul would be judged in order to see if it should go to paradise, the fields of miserableness, or the pit of endless torture. The Mediterraneans believed that if a person did not give food offerings then the dead would emphasize malevolent actions towards the living. Celebration such as the
parade of ancestors’ death masks in Rome were made in honor of the dead. A mask resembling the deceased was often worn by a hired actor on the way to the burial site.
parade of ancestors’ death masks in Rome were made in honor of the dead. A mask resembling the deceased was often worn by a hired actor on the way to the burial site.
East Asia
In China, ancestors had to be worshiped and kept content. The living loved them yet had a slight fear for them. Rites to show reverence towards ancestors were held in homes, temples, and graveyards. Tablets inscribed with the name of ancestors were kept in homes and used as shrines. Offerings were brought to these shrines and were revered greatly. Offerings were brought in order to assure the well being of the ancestors, and therefore keep on receiving help from the deceased. Social status in the family affected the number of tablets displayed in the shrine. New tablets added to the shrine replaced the position of old ones. The older tablet would be deposited in a chest and have offerings made to them collectively at longer intervals. Chinese funerary rites usually consist of nine rules. The first was that the family will wail for the recently passed away and will let the public know of the incident. The family members will dress themselves in mourning attire by wearing white clothing. A ritual of the bathing of the corpse will be held and offerings of food will transfer to the dead by the burning of spirit money. An ancestral tablet is made and set at the altar. A religious speaker such as a Buddhist cleric or a Taoist priest is payed to go to the ceremony in order for the soul to reach the spirit world and continue its journey. Music is played as an accompaniment for the movement of the corpse and the settlement of the spirit. The corpse is placed in a coffin, and sealed. The burial of the corpse is the end of the funeral rites. There were some cases where the dead were cremated, this was usually from a family whom religion was Buddhism.
The Andean areas
The Inca's ancestors were seen as bridges to the gods and therefore were valued highly. The Incas mummified their ancestors and kept them all in the capital, Cuzco. The mummies would often be buried with weapons, ornaments, valued possessions, women, servants, food, and chicha. Golden masks were used by royalty when mummified and mummies in a lower social/political ranking wore masks made out of wood or clay. Some masks, such as the metallic "death mask", have movable parts. The Incan heaven was divided into four quarters. If the deceased was a good human being during his life, he was admitted into a heaven with the sun god which was full of food and drinks . Otherwise, the soul would be taken to a cold place where rocks were the only source of food. If a person lived a good life they lived in the part of heaven with the sun where there was plenty of food and drink. If they lived a bad life they had to live in the underworld where it was cold and they only had rocks to eat. Ancestors were really important to the Incas in the fact that the possessions of the ancestor would be carried onto the hands of the male decedent. The mummies inside the Temple of the Sun would sometimes be used as a threat towards misbehaving individuals. The Wari admiration would grab the individual's ancestor and hold it for ransom. If anything happened to the ancestor the individual would become disinherited and therefore losing all of his land. In order for the decedent to ensure his own cult and eternal resting place, he must acquire land and wealth of his own. Ancestors were also greatly important for the Incas because they gave spiritual advice on concerning matters. This would be done by sacrifice and an Oracle. Human and animal sacrifices, food, and gifts were usually given as a way to please the ancestors. The Incan ancestors were always brought out during celebrations such as parades.
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Publishers Inc., 2003. 255. Print.