Ancestors are regarded as continuing members of the family whose presence bridges the visible and invisible worlds. They are honored most immediately through ancestral altars in the home or in lineage halls, where tablets, names, or portraits of the deceased are enshrined in a prominent place. Before these shrines, descendants regularly present offerings such as incense, tea, wine, water, fruit, and sometimes meat, often including the favorite foods of the departed. Bowing, kneeling, and spoken reports of family affairs express both reverence and the expectation that ancestors can guide and protect the living. In this way, ritual attention at the altar becomes a daily or periodic renewal of kinship ties that do not end with death.

Honor for ancestors also unfolds in the care given to their resting places. During occasions such as Qingming (Tomb-Sweeping Day), families visit graves to clean the tombs, trim vegetation, and repair or decorate the site. Offerings of food, incense, and various forms of joss paper or “spirit money” are made, sometimes including paper representations of houses, clothing, or other goods to sustain ancestors in the other world. Ritual bows and prostrations at the graveside affirm filial piety and gratitude, while proper maintenance of the tomb reflects concern for both spiritual well-being and the family’s ongoing fortune. Such acts of tending the grave are not merely symbolic; they are experienced as a concrete way of remaining in relationship with those who have passed on.

Festivals and communal rites further deepen this relationship. During the Lunar New Year and other major occasions, ancestors are symbolically invited to join family meals, with a place or offerings set aside for them before the living dine. The Ghost Festival is another important time when ancestors are believed to draw near, and families respond with offerings, ritual meals, and the burning of paper goods to ensure comfort and support in the afterlife. In some communities, ritual specialists or divination practices are employed to seek ancestral guidance or approval for significant decisions, reinforcing the sense that ancestors remain active moral and protective forces. Genealogical records and ancestral tablets preserve names and relationships across generations, ensuring that remembrance is not left to chance.

Underlying all these practices is an ethical dimension: honoring ancestors is expressed not only in rites, but also in maintaining lineage continuity, upholding family traditions, and preserving the family’s reputation through virtuous conduct. Misfortune may be interpreted as a sign of ancestral displeasure, while harmony and success are seen as evidence of their blessing. Thus, ritual offerings, grave care, festival observances, and moral behavior together form a single fabric of devotion. Through this fabric, the living and the dead remain bound in mutual responsibility, shaping a vision of family that transcends the limits of a single lifetime.