The most popular folk religious practice in China is Ancestor prayer or worship. And the most prevalent way to honour the departed is with ancestral tablets. The name of the ancestor is written or carved onto the ancestral tablet. A box and a wooden support are sometimes used as decorations.
The spirit of the person is thought to reside in the ancestral tablet. It is thus handled similarly to a nearly corporeal human, to put it simply. That’s why we offer fruits, tea and sweets to these panels.
Descendants light incense when they pray because they believe that their prayers travel up to their ancestors through the smoke of the incense. They believe that the incense facilitates connection with spirits through the transmission of prayers. A typical traditional Chinese home will have an ancestor tablet or shrine in the main room. Contact Nirvana Memorial Garden for ancestral tablets.