Gods, Ghosts, and Ancestors

 

 

 

            In Arthur Wolf’s book “Studies in Chinese Society”, there’s a section called “Gods, Ghosts, and Ancestors”. It describes the worship rituals in the everyday lives of people living in the rural areas along the southwestern edge of the Taipei Basin. Wolf starts by describing how each morning conservative families will burn three sticks of incense twice a day, the first is placed in a nice outside of the house for the benefit of the wandering ghosts, the second is dedicated to the Stove God whose images resides above a large brick structure where all meals are prepared and finally, the third is placed in a burner before the tablets of the family’s immediate ancestors (1974: 131). His entire essay goes on to explain how these three different acts of worship have their own significance in the lives of the Taiwanese people, his arguments in the essay revolve around how each worshippers conception of the social world places a significant role in their lives (1974: 131).

 

 

            The first act of worship involves the Stove God, in most northern Taiwanese homes there is a large brick cooking stove on which most of the families’ meals are prepared and it stands as a substantial symbol of the family as a corporate body. This stove possession identifies the family as an independent entity, this is of great importance because the owning of your individual family stove shows that you are independent and independent families never share a stove (1974: 133). Wolf goes on to explain how when brothers divide the father`s household, the eldest inherits the stove and the younger brothers will take hot coals from that said to their own stoves as a welcoming act to the stove god into their home. If a stove is contaminated with insects then it must be demolished and the bricks thrown into a river in order to restore peace for the family, there is thus a very apparent association not only between Stove God and stove but also between god and family (1974: 133).

 

 

            As someone who grew up in a western society in a Catholic household, I think it`s really interesting how much emphasis is put on a god and worshipping your ancestors, I grew up with the notion of their only being one god. However, my world view has evolved a great deal and I no longer really view one religion as being higher than another. I think there is merit in every religious practice, it may be hard to understand a different person`s belief system but I find this particular God worship system to be particularly intriguing. I think it’s quite interesting how Gods who have failed at their duties are tried and condemned to a public beating, whereas in the Catholic faith if God doesn’t do something for his followers it’s because he had another life plan for us and we don`t question him. While in Taiwan culture a god was tried for neglecting his duties and condemned where he was left in the hot sun to see how he liked it and finally after enduring all sorts of insults as broken in pieces (1974: 144). I am aware no every sub-culture within Taiwan share the same belief system the one Wolf takes about from a Westerners standpoint is quite impressive how they will punish a God for being neglectful whereas we simply accept it and decide it must be part of a bigger life plan God has for us.

 

Image Source:

Tablets: http://lifeoftaiwan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/ancestor-worship-taiwan.jpg

Stove God : http://taiwanpedia.culture.tw/images/media/religion/R379.jpg

 

References:

Wolf, A. (1974). Studies in Chinese Society. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.