Taoism
Taoist altars are
erected in temples or private homes to honor
traditional deities and the spirits of
ancestors. Strict traditions describe
the items offered and the ritual involved in
the temples, but folk custom in the homes is
much freer.
Nearly all forms of
Chinese traditional religion involve
baibai (拜拜)--bowing towards an altar,
with a stick of incense in one's hand (some
schools prescribe the use of three sticks of
incense in the hand at one time.) This may
be done at home, or in a temple, or
outdoors; by an ordinary person, or a
professional, and the altar may feature any
number of deities or ancestral tablets.
Baibai is usually done in accordance
with certain dates of the lunar/solar
calendar.
At certain
dates, food may be set out as a sacrifice to
the gods and/or spirits of the departed.
This may include slaughtered pigs and ducks,
or fruit. Another form of sacrifice
involves the burning of Hell Bank Notes, on
the assumption that images thus consumed by
the fire will reappear--not as a mere image,
but as the actual item--in the spirit world,
and be available for the departed spirit to
use. In Taoist folk religion, sometimes
chickens,
pigs feet,
and pig heads
