Folk Religion Culture In Ethnic Group

Hakka ethnic group, with its unique culture, is different from other groups of Han people and other ethnic minorities. Hakka people are mainly distributed in the south of China, mostly in Jiangxi, Guangdong. Fujian, and Taiwan. Though Scattered all over the world, Hakka people have a common cultural identity, especially the cultural identity with the characteristics of their clans and the families plays a crucial role in Hakka people, which is the basis of their bondage.Ancestor worship is the folk religion phenomenon, which is worldwide. The thesis holds that the ancestor worship is particularly important in Hakka folk religion system. The worship and belief for ancestors also widely exist among Hakka people, which exerts great influence on their daily life. Especially, ancestor worship plays particularly important role in the aspects of Hakka ethnic identity.This thesis attempts to figure out the strategies of group identity through ancestor worship among Hakka people. It is based on the observation of the Hakka people who live in LongNan of jiangxi province, ancestral hall and family tree of Hakka people as well as the behaviors during the cult and funeral ceremonies.Based on the field study and analysis on three typical towns, YangCun town, Xinyuan villages and Guanxin town, the thesis argues that the ancestor worship and other belief forms among Hakka people are closely related, with the tendency of having the ancestral legend and immortality. In addition, through a common ancestor or the method of reconstructing ethnic boundaries, Hakka people connect ancestor worship with self-identity, which becomes the core psychological foundation of group identity among them.