Offering Tribute to ancestors on Chinese New Year's Eve

Ancestors worshipping will be held by most Chinese family during the Chinese New Year. Necessary offerings will be prepared. When the auspicious time comes, the ancestors worshipping will be carried out in accordance with the seniority of the family members. It is believed that although the ancestors have passed they will still look after and take care of their descendants from the heaven. 

The descendants honor the ancestors by worshipping them through the ritual and to pray for their protection and blessing. Therefore, ancestors worshipping is carried out during each Chinese New Year, to forever keep the ancestors in remembrance, empowering the descendants. While also pray for the continuous blessings and protection from the ancestors. For a prosperous, abundance, happy and good life.

Chinese New Year’s Eve is the reunion of family members. Is also called "Ci Sui" (farewell of the old year). The main purpose of the offering is to honor the ancestors and the Gods, for the protection and care throughout the year. Scrumptious meals and dishes will be prepared for the offering. And the worship will be carried out with great sense of thankful and appreciation. It is believed that, the more devoted, you are, the more blessings you will receive.

• Preparation of offering

A pot of rice, six or twelve bowls of dishes, three bowls of glutinous rice balls, three or five types of fruits, three glasses of tea or liquor, steamed sponge cake, sticky rice cake, types of joss paper such as gold paper, few(big) silver paper, few(small) silver paper, ten sets of utensils, to symbolize perfection.

• Worshipping process

On the night of Chinese New Year's Eve, place all the offerings on the altar. If the same altar is shared between the Gods and ancestors, the altar must be placed in front of the ancestral tablet, like three pillars of joss stick. 

Invite ancestors to dine at home. When the joss stick has burned to one-third, continue to worship the ancestors with the gold and silver paper. And proceed with the burning of the joss paper. Pour in a glass of tea/liquor into the furnace.

#万富 #继承传统