祫
ancient joint ancestral sacrifice; combined seasonal rite
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
joint ancestral sacrifice; combined seasonal memorial rite in the imperial ancestral temple
archaicA specific ritual term from Zhou Dynasty ceremonial codes (周礼). Refers to the highest grade of ancestral sacrifice where multiple generations of ancestors are worshipped together in the Imperial Ancestral Temple (太庙), as opposed to individual sacrifices (禘) to specific ancestors. In traditional Confucian ritual hierarchy, 祫 was the most solemn ancestral rite, typically performed triennially.
The ceremony of the joint sacrifice is held once every three years, gathering the spirit tablets from all the ancestral temples to sacrifice to them in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
As recorded in the Rites of Zhou, the joint sacrifice (xia) is the great sacrifice, while the individual sacrifice (di) is the seasonal offering.
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When ancient emperors performed the joint sacrifice ceremony, they had to fast for three days to demonstrate their piety.