ABSTRACT
A Chinese family included its dead ancestors as weIl as the living members, and every Chinese horne had a shrine so the living members of the family could offer their respects to the dead members of the familyon a daily basis . Each morning and evening, the family would burn incense and bow in front of either a portrait or a tablet, with the name of the ancestor written on it. They believed the smoke from the incense floated up toward the spirit of the ancestor. On special days, such as one of the many festival days, more elaborate ceremonies were held. On those days, the head of the family would pray and bow before the ancestor's portrait and each
family member, in order of seniority, would follow suit. The family would offer food to their ancestors, with the most important ancestors and those who had most recently died being offered the most. The family would then eat the food after the ceremony. Because the male family members were in charge of the family it followed that when a girl married she left her family and horne and moved in with her new husband's family. They became her family and her loyalties switched to her new family.
