Chinese folk religion
As a Chinese folk belief is defined as the mixture of partly religious and partly non-religious practices, which is used in the inhabited areas of Chinese. This belief does not have a theology, there is no clergy and no organization, the father celebrated the rites with the extended family, such as marriage rites, New Year rites etc. The designation of Chinese folk belief is a term that is used only abroad, because there is no Chinese term for it.
The Chinese folk belief can not be clearly distinguished from other common kinds of faith in Asia. It combines elements of ancestor worship, local cults, Buddhism and Daoism, Confucianism, superstition, geomancy and fengshui in itself. There are many geographical variations and peculiarities.
The rites and practices can be distinguished from philosophical or simply respect for the ancestors not exactly, the Chinese People's faith is therefore not a religion in the Western sense. The practices and beliefs that are based on the Chinese folk belief, are among the foundations of Chinese culture. It is therefore almost impossible to name pendant numbers, because many people who give of themselves, not to be religious, yet worship their ancestors and take part in rites.
In the center of the Chinese People's faith is the worship of ancestors ( ancestor worship ) and local deities. However, the honoring of ancestors in China need not necessarily be justified on religious grounds, but can also be done simply out of respect. In many Chinese households, especially in rural areas, there is a central place to a table or cabinet, stand on which images or statues of the ancestors, deities or important persons in public life. In the People's Republic of China can also use images of Mao Zedong or Deng Xiaoping belong. Be the ancestors for example Offered fruit. In the country, there is also frequently ancestral halls, where names and pictures of important ancestors are attached. This ancestral halls were temporarily no longer to be found in the People's Republic, but their importance is now back strongly, especially in villages, where the majority of the residents have the same ancestors.
The deities of Chinese folk beliefs are persons male or female, it has really given once and those special powers or deeds are attributed. These deities are not to be compared by their power forth with Buddha or Guanyin ( the Goddess of Mercy ), but are also responsible for limited matters such as the furnace, the front door or to war. Mao Zedong also sometimes portrayed as a person who has already entered into the ranks of the Chinese deities.
Occasionally one sees in the West statues of the so-called "Three Stars " Fu, Luk and Sau.
In the imaginary world of popular belief these deities can grant wishes or help in solving problems. The believer prays while the statue or picture of the Deity, and holds one or more incense sticks while in the hand. The prayer contains the request and also the promise of a (symbolic) in return. The prayer is performed while kneeling or standing bows. The prayer is ended, that the incense sticks are inserted into the established for this purpose vessels. Does the believer feel that the deity of this desire will assume a sacrifice is offered, which takes the form of presenting food or the burning of money imitations. Does the believer feel that the deity does not feel responsible for wanting it, the believer still trying for another God. Partial Buddha statues are placed at the same time.
A key point in Chinese folk belief is also the healing of the sick. The healers usually have no training, nor is there any characteristic that distinguishes them from other citizens. For the purpose of healing the sick sometimes confess sins and sometimes administering of herbs is exorcism, sometimes used. In the countryside, where there are no doctors who treat according to traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine, this type of medicine is sometimes the only possible way out. Otherwise, the healing arts can also be used according to popular belief, complementary to other treatment methods.