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.

Origin of ancestor worship

First recorded in 1850–55

anc, anc., ancaeus, ancaster, ancestor, ancestor worship, ancestral, ancestress, ancestry, anch'ing, anchises

In primitive Japan, as in every other primitive human society, ancestor-worship was the first form of belief.

The Japanese Spirit |Yoshisaburo Okakura
This ancestor-worship is what gave the element of sanctity to the home.

The home |Charlotte Perkins Gilman
There were lingering traces of ancestor-worship, and perhaps of fire-worship also.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 6 |Various
The State religion, which was Confucianism, was ancestor-worship.

Myths and Legends of China |E. T. C. Werner

The key to the Melanesian system of government is Ancestor-worship.

The Fijians |Basil Thomson