"Cult of the dead" redirects here. For other uses, see Cult of the dead (disambiguation).
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The veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living. Some groups venerate their direct, familial ancestors. Certain religious groups, in particular the Eastern Orthodox Churches, Catholic Church and Anglican Church venerate saints as intercessors with God; the latter also believes in prayer for departed souls in Purgatory. Other religious groups, however, consider veneration of the dead to be idolatry and a sin.
In European, Asian, Oceanian, African and Afro-diasporic cultures (which includes but should be distinguished from multiple cultures and Indigenous populations in the Americas who were never influenced by the African Diaspora), the goal of ancestor veneration is to ensure the ancestors' continued well-being and positive disposition towards the living, and sometimes to ask for special favours or assistance. The social or non-religious function of ancestor veneration is to cultivate kinship values, such as filial piety, family loyalty, and continuity of the family lineage. Ancestor veneration occurs in societies with every degree of social, political, and technological complexity, and it remains an important component of various religious practices in modern times.
and 24 Related for: Veneration of the dead information
Veneration (Latin: veneratio; Greek: τιμάω timáō), or venerationof saints, is the act of honoring a saint, a person who has been identified as having...
ancestor veneration, also called Chinese ancestor worship, is an aspect ofthe Chinese traditional religion which revolves around the ritual celebration of the...
Skull art Thursday oftheDeadVenerationofthedead Walpurgis Night Foxcroft, Nigel H. (October 28, 2019). The Kaleidoscopic Vision of Malcolm Lowry: Souls...
Babylonian religion is the religious practice of Babylonia. Babylonia's mythology was greatly influenced by its Sumerian counterparts and was written...
lower gods, sometimes including a supreme being, as well as thevenerationofthedead, and use of magic and traditional African medicine. Most religions can...
trouble the living. Dead relatives were venerated and sometimes asked for help. None ofthe inscribed tablets found since 1928 in the Canaanite city of Ugarit...
in Athens as deities of marriage, childbirth and the household. They are mentioned in the Suda lexicon, a Byzantine work ofthe tenth century AD, and...
present in the Book of theDeadofthe 3rd Intermediate Period. He can be seen sitting on his throne in the Book oftheDeadof Nedjmet, Padikhons, Nestanebetisheru...
The Double Ninth Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday observed on the ninth day ofthe ninth month in the Chinese calendar. According to Wu Jun, it...
Saturday of Souls VenerationofthedeadVenerationofthe saints One or more ofthe preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public...
Sarnaism is a religious faith ofthe Indian subcontinent, predominantly followed by indigenous communities in the Chota Nagpur Plateau region across states...
in an amount of higher and lower gods, sometimes including a supreme creator or force, belief in spirits, venerationofthedead, use of magic and traditional...
Egyptian: mꜥnḏt) or the Boat of Millions of Years (Ancient Egyptian: wjꜣ-n-ḥḥw), and the vessel he used during the night was known as the Mesektet (Ancient...
such as those lost at sea or who have died in combat. Cenotaph Venerationofthedead in Vietnam Le Hong Khanh. "wind tomb, human and military ceremony...
of bobbing of apples is the game snap apple or apple on a string, in which apples are hung from the ceiling and contestants jump to take bites - the winner...
"Devourer oftheDead"; also rendered Ammut or Ahemait) was an ancient Egyptian goddess[clarification needed] with the forequarters of a lion, the hindquarters...
"refreshes and purifies" the pharaoh. Kebechet was thought to give water to the spirits ofthedead while they waited for the mummification process to...
holy site is a location which is deemed to be sacred or hallowed. The sacredness of a natural feature may accrue through tradition or be granted through...
romanized: Shons) is the ancient Egyptian god ofthe Moon. His name means 'traveller', and this may relate to the perceived nightly travel ofthe Moon across the sky....
explain curses, and their changing uses—from condemning disturbance ofthedead to entertaining horror film audiences—suggest that Egyptian curses are...
(/ˈnɛkrəmænsi/) is the practice of magic involving communication with thedead by summoning their spirits as apparitions or visions for the purpose of divination;...