Filial piety is traditional virtue of the Chinese. Children must respect and be good to their parents, and take care of the elders. All the family members are united together around the elders and live in harmony and peace. When the elders pass away, younger generations worship them, so as to cherish the memory of departed elders. Filial piety of descendants extends to their ancestors even after their deaths.
In folk tradition, memorial tablet is made when elder is alive. The inscription on the tablet: Chinese character “主” (i.e. “master”) of “神主” is without the small dot and becomes character “王”. The tablet is covered by red cloth with Chinese characters written as “长生禄位” to indicate that the person is still alive. When the elder passes away, the covered red cloth is removed at first, and then writes the birth and death dates of the elder on memorial tablet, invites respectable person to add one stroke: a small dot on the character “王”, finally put the memorial tablet in place.
In San Qing Gong temple, Tablet Rising Ceremony is held on 2nd lunar month and 11th lunar month. Devotees can place the deceased’ spiritual tablet in the side-hall on 1st storey for 49 or 100 days, and then put the memorial tablet in place in Huai-si Tang (the columbarium) after the Tablet Rising Ceremony. Devotees can also rent the hall on 1st storey and invite Taoist priests from our temple to conduct a Salvation of Ancestors Gongteck Prayers Ceremony on the deceased’s death anniversary.
