ancestor worship
nounDefinition of ancestor worship
: the custom of venerating deceased ancestors who are considered still a part of the family and whose spirits are believed to have the power to intervene in the affairs of the living
Examples of ancestor worship in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Traditional rituals and beliefs, such as ancestor worship, were intermixed with Catholic rites. — National Geographic, "400 years ago, enslaved Africans first arrived in Virginia," 13 Aug. 2019 Unlike the idealized depictions in many court paintings, posthumous portraits for use in ancestor worship strive for individuality. — Lee Lawrence, WSJ, "‘Empresses of China’s Forbidden City’ Review: Searching for Stories of Power," 28 Aug. 2018 Under Mao, the Communist Party tried to stamp out ancestor worship. — The Economist, "Ancestral longingsAs China rushes forward, more people seek their roots," 11 Jan. 2018 Mayans, Incans and other Native Americans had great reverence for the dead and ancestor worship was culturally important. — Greg Garrison, AL.com, "Days of the Dead: What's the difference between Halloween, All Saints, All Souls?," 31 Oct. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ancestor worship.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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