The concept of ancestry worship has been in the fabric of different ethnic cultures for millions of years. Only until now has the linkage between this concept and people been weakened, this is due to the colonization of western civilization and the force of their religions. Fortunately, I was born into a family that practices the Afro Cuban tradition(Santeria) which its roots are built upon the sacredness of ancestry. Through my experience with worshiping my ancestors, I am able to feel the warmth of their love and live a bountiful life using their insight. I believe society, in general, would benefit greatly by participating in ancestor worship because it brings peace and deep spiritual development into everyone’s life.
The worship of ancestors is not new to the world. Ancestor worship is one of the first ritualistic practices of the human race, which happened approximately 2–3 million years ago. While the first humans were discovering fire they were also worshiping their ancestors. The idea of ancestor worship I believe is a natural thought in the human race, for us to question beyond our reality is to face the unknown. Not only is questioning our reality instinctual, but the connection we hold with our ancestors is also strong due to the fact that they give the current generation life and being. In addition to ancestor worship being rooted in the start of human existence, ancestor worship is shared among all different types of cultures and traditions around the world.
Across various cultures, religions, and traditions they worship their ancestors, even across different continents and seas, you will find similarities in the practices. For example in Buddhism, it was stated by Joan Halifax in the article Giving Birth to Ancestors “Practicing Buddhism is about discovering ourselves to be in a great, flowing river of continuities. Just as our mother and father live inside us, so do generations upon generations of mothers and fathers before them”. This states for one to understand themselves they have to have the acknowledgment of their ancestors and the understanding that they are living on the shoulders of their ancestors. Another culture that puts emphasis on the dead is Hinduism. In Hindu practice, there is the ceremony called “Pitri Paksha” which is a period of 15 days to dedicate the remembrance of loved ones. During those 15 days, Hindus will give food to the hungry in the hope that their loved ones will also eat. This idea of feeding your ancestors is a common ritual in the practices of ancestor worship, it’s a giving of thanks for the blessings of their life. This is also prevalent in the practice of the Afro Cuban tradition.
In the Afro Cuban tradition the worship of ancestors is at the foundation of everything we do. In the tradition we think of our ancestors as beings around us we call them “egun”. Following us and taking care of us. Consciousness to us is never-ending, death is just another step into the journey. We are able to connect directly with our ancestors through different divinations, one of the rituals being ‘obi’ which is a way of asking questions to our past loved ones. The steps for ‘throwing obi’ is to get a coconut and cut it into 4 pieces, when then make dip them in water and simply call all of our immediate ancestors, then we simply ask the question and drop the 4 pieces on the floor. Depending on the orientation of the coconut pieces(up meaning yes and down meaning no) we will derive the answer to the question. After asking the first question and getting the answer we will then ask a follow-up question of do we need to make an “ebo” this is Yoruba for the offering. Offerings can vary from being as simple as giving food to something more elaborate like a ceremony evolving multiple animal sacrifices, this is all dependent on the severity of the question and the answer. As explained earlier offerings and sacrifices are common in ancestor worship, we treat the dead as if they were still here. It is good practice that on a daily basis that we take care of the dead by giving them things as if they were still alive, some things could be coffee in the morning, cigars, rum and plates of food. There’s a saying in the religion it goes by “oreja no pasa cabeza” which means you can’t think of yourself as greater than your ancestors.
No matter what type of religious beliefs you believe in the idea of worshiping your ancestors is an important practice that not only gives love to your ancestors, it also gives light to your spiritual being.
Works Cited
Halifax, Joan. “Giving Birth to Ancestors.” Tricycle, 29 Apr. 2020, https://tricycle.org/magazine/giving-birth-ancestors/.
“Prehistoric Religion.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Nov. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prehistoric_religion.
Rajhans, Shri Gyan. “Pitri-Paksha — Annual Ancestral Worship.” Learn Religions, Aug. 26, 2020, learnreligions.com/pitri-paksha-annual-ancestor-worship-1770146.
