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Ancestor worship involves paying respects to the spirits of dead relatives or ancestors in the hope this will ward off evil and bring good fortune to the community.

As the ancestors are not really thought of as gods, ‘worship’ may not be entirely the right term to use. Typically, offerings of food or drink or gifts for the spirits of the dead are made in the hope this will please the ancestors and make sure that they continue to look out for the community. In West Africa each family has its own ancestral shrine, inhabited, it is thought, by the founder of the lineage. These shrines are often carved in the likeness of the founder and must be tended and cared for.

See also Day of the Dead.