Ritual Calculations

Although officially an atheist country, graveside rituals in contemporary China are imbued with religious significance. Common practices address the welfare of ancestors in the afterlife, as well as communicate hopes for the departed to bless the living. However, religious minorities in China often utilize graveside activities to exhibit distinct beliefs and religious community. This chapter argues that for Chinese Protestants, the absence of common ritual is the most significant feature of graveside practices. While “Christian rituals,” such as prayer, hymn-singing, or a short message from a pastor may be performed at graves of departed church members, this research suggests that it is by not engaging in offering food or drink to the deceased, using incense, or burning paper money or other articles that Chinese Protestants draw clear lines of cultural and religious divergence. This chapter is based on interviews and observations conducted in South China from 2008 to 2018. In particular, I joined a number of large Christian family gatherings as they commemorated ancestors and annually observed Qingming practices at two large Christian cemeteries in Fujian.