Ancestral Tablet

According to legend, ancestral tablets first began in the Eastern Han dynasty. During that time, lived a farmer named Ding Lan, who was raised by his mother because his father died early. He often spoke ill of his mother because of his bad temper. One day, Ding Lan went to work in the fields as usual, and was surprised to find a lamb kneeling down to suckle the milk of its mother. Afterwards, an old shepherd taught him a lesson on filial piety in relation to the proverb, “a lamb kneels to suckle milk from its mother”. Thus, Ding Lan felt ashamed for how he had treated his mother.

On that day, Ding Lan’s mother was in a hurry to go to the field because was delayed in delivering his meal. When Ding Lan saw his mother approaching, he ran to her with a contrite heart. However, his mother mistook his actions for anger. Out of fear, she fled and accidentally fell into a swift-flowing river. Ding Lan couldn’t find any trace of his mother in the river and only recovered a piece of wood. After grieving and mourning, he took the wood home and carved his mother’s name on it; enshrining it in the main hall. From then on, everyone followed his example and worshipped a wooden tablet as an “ancestral tablet”, passing on the traditional virtue of filial piety and gratitude.

At the ancestral hall or the ancestral altar of the family, the ancestral tablets are arranged in accordance to the seniority of the departed. There are incense burners for future generations to offer incense and worship with offerings that include fruits, tea, cakes and others. Each of these tablets must be consecrated with a brush dipped in vermillion. In traditional Chinese funeral rites, it is an essential part of the ceremony.

In accordance with traditional customs, once the urn is positioned, it should remain undisturbed except for relocation or burial. To honor these customs and simplify worship, ancestral tablets are used in place of urns. During worship, individuals focus their prayers on the ancestral tablets rather than the urns.