Ritual Offerings · FFET10496
Ancestor offerings
Food and wine are offered to ancestors at Qingming; offerings vary by region and are often shared afterward.
The foods offered at ancestor rites, to deities and in temples.
Ancestor offerings are food and wine set out for a family's ancestors; during Qingming grave visits, people in many places present the food before sharing it. Offerings vary by locality, including cakes and tofu in Fuzhou, roast suckling pig in Dongguan, clams in Chaoshan, and green glutinous rice balls in Shanghai.
What
Ancestor offerings are food and wine set out for ancestors. During Qingming grave visits, people in many places present food and share it afterward.1
When
Qingming grave visits are one occasion for ancestor offerings. A 1900 account of Beijing also records offering Laba porridge to ancestors before sharing it at the Laba festival; this does not establish when ancestor food offerings began.1,3
Where
Ancestor food offerings occur in many parts of China, with local variations at Qingming. In Fujian, Fuzhou has cakes and tofu, while Putian has turtle-shaped flour cakes and five kinds of fruit. In Guangdong, Dongguan has roast suckling pig and Chaoshan has clams. Shanxi has snake-shaped cakes and jujube-walnut buns, Shanghai has green glutinous rice balls, and Anhui has boiled eggs and mugwort cakes.1
How
During Qingming grave visits, people set out food and wine at the grave and use ritual items such as incense and candles. In many places, the food is eaten afterward; Guangzhou practices include sharing the food and fruit after the offering.1
Why
Food offerings express respect for ancestors. Ancient ritual accounts also connect sacrifice with honoring forebears.2
Impact and influence
Qingming offerings feature different local foods, while sharing the food afterward is a practice found in many places.1