Ancestor worship

(in certain societies) the veneration of ancestors whose spirits are frequently held to possess the power to influence the affairs of the living.
historical examples

from this has arisen the most powerful cult, ancestor worship, that at present exists in china.
sidelights on chinese life j. macgowan

the basis, however, of chinese religious thought is ancestor worship.
from pole to pole sven anders hedin

herbert spencer has insisted that all religion is ancestor worship, that is, it grows out of the family group.
the evolution of the country community warren h. wilson

ancestor worship may be said, indeed, to be the true religion of the chinese.
from pole to pole sven anders hedin

possibly there is a trace of ancestor worship even here; but the two usages have diverged.
encyclopaedia britannica, 11th edition, volume 2, slice 3 various

ancestor worship, or reverence for the dead, was a third factor.
encyclopaedia britannica, 11th edition, volume 2, slice 3 various

modern taste has removed from sight what were once the common people’s symbols of the god-way, that is of ancestor worship.
the religions of j-pan william elliot griffis

it finds expression in the ceremonies known as ancestor worship.
hinduism and buddhism, vol i. (of 3) charles eliot

revile as you may and wrongly call it “ancestor worship,” the spirit that prompts the act is entirely praiseworthy.
a j-panese boy shigemi shiukichi

ghasiya tribe, ancestor worship, i. 176; barring the ghost, ii.
the popular religion and folk-lore of northern india, vol. ii (of 2) w. crooke