Why Ancestors Were Once Consulted Before Planting or Marrying

By Alex Assoune Oct 06, 2025

Across countless cultures, the voices of ancestors once guided the most important decisions in life. Before sowing seeds, raising a new house, or joining two families in marriage, people turned to their ancestral spirits for approval and protection. This wasn’t just out of superstition—it reflected a worldview where the living and the dead were bound together in an unbroken chain.

Our ancestors were believed to hold wisdom, influence, and authority in the spiritual realm. Ignoring them risked not only bad fortune but also disharmony within the family line. In this article, we’ll explore why ancestors were once consulted before planting, building, or marrying, uncovering the cultural, spiritual, and practical reasons behind this practice, as well as how remnants of it still survive today.

Panaprium is independent and reader supported. If you buy something through our link, we may earn a commission. If you can, please support us on a monthly basis. It takes less than a minute to set up, and you will be making a big impact every single month. Thank you!

The Role of Ancestors in Traditional Societies

Ancestors as Protectors

In many traditions, the dead didn’t simply disappear. They became guardians of the family, watching over descendants from the spirit world. Their blessing was believed to bring fertility to fields, stability to homes, and harmony in marriages.

Ancestors as Carriers of Wisdom

Because they had lived full lives, ancestors were thought to possess insight into hidden dangers or future outcomes. Through rituals, dreams, or divination, families sought their guidance on crucial decisions.

Ancestors as Intermediaries

In cultures where gods or spirits felt distant, ancestors acted as intermediaries between the human and divine realms. Consulting them meant ensuring that actions aligned with cosmic order.

Planting: Seeking Fertility from the Ancestors

Agriculture was the foundation of survival, and families depended on good harvests. This made planting one of the most spiritually significant activities.

Rituals Before Sowing

In West Africa, farmers poured libations of water or palm wine on the soil, asking ancestors to bless the crops.
In Japan, rice planting festivals included offerings to ancestral and local spirits, ensuring fertility of the fields.
In Slavic villages, the first seeds were often blessed by elders while invoking ancestral protection.

Ancestors and the Land

Many cultures believed land was sacred because it was where ancestors rested. Planting without their permission could anger them, leading to poor harvests or illness. This reflected the belief that the soil itself held ancestral presence.

Seasonal Guidance

Farmers often read omens, dreams, or signs from ancestors to determine when to begin planting. Ignoring these could mean famine or disaster.

Building: Homes as Sacred Spaces

Building a new house or structure was never a casual task—it meant establishing a new center of family life, one that required ancestral blessing.

Foundations and Ancestors

In Celtic traditions, offerings of milk, bread, or coins were buried under new foundations to honor ancestors and household spirits.
In China, families performed elaborate ancestor rituals before building, believing a house without ancestral approval would invite misfortune.
Among Indigenous North American peoples, some tribes asked ancestral spirits to guide the placement of homes in harmony with nature.

Household Spirits

Across Europe and Asia, people believed each home had guardian spirits—often linked to ancestors. Before raising walls or lighting a new hearth, families performed rites to invite these protective presences.

Ancestral Blessing for Prosperity

A house without ancestral blessing was seen as vulnerable to sickness, poverty, or conflict. By honoring ancestors at the threshold, families secured harmony and prosperity.

Marriage: Ancestral Approval for Family Continuity

Marriage was more than a union of two individuals—it was the merging of bloodlines and the continuation of ancestral legacy.

Ancestors as Witnesses

In African traditions, marriages often included rituals at ancestral shrines, where blessings were sought for fertility and harmony.
In European folk customs, candles, bread, or salt were offered to ancestral spirits during weddings.
In China, ancestral tablets were present at ceremonies, symbolizing the approval of generations past.

Fertility and Continuity

Since marriage was about producing heirs, ancestors were consulted to ensure fertility. A marriage without their blessing risked infertility, conflict, or misfortune.

Preventing Disharmony

Some cultures believed ancestors could withhold blessings if the match was unsuitable—if the families were in conflict, or if the spirits foresaw discord. Consulting them was a way to avoid future tragedy.

Methods of Consulting Ancestors

Different cultures used varied methods to communicate with ancestral spirits before important decisions.

Divination: Casting lots, reading bones, or interpreting signs to reveal ancestral will.
Dreams: Many believed ancestors visited descendants in dreams to offer approval or warnings.
Mediums and Shamans: Trained individuals acted as intermediaries, conveying ancestral messages.
Offerings and Rituals: Food, drink, incense, or symbolic items were presented to invite ancestral blessings.

Cross-Cultural Examples

Africa

In Yoruba culture, Egungun festivals honor ancestral spirits, who guide families in major decisions.
Libations poured at ancestral shrines before planting or marriage ensure success and protection.

Europe

Slavic families invoked domovoi (household spirits, often linked to ancestors) before building or farming.
Celtic traditions buried offerings under thresholds as ancestral blessings for new homes.

Asia

Chinese families offered incense at ancestor altars before weddings or business ventures.
In Japan, both Shinto and Buddhist practices honored ancestors before planting rice or building homes.

Indigenous Americas

Navajo traditions included blessing rituals guided by ancestors before constructing hogans (homes).
Many tribes viewed planting ceremonies as a way of inviting ancestral presence into the growing season.

Why Ancestors Were Central to These Acts

Fertility and Prosperity: Ancestors ensured abundance in crops, animals, and children.
Protection from Misfortune: Without their approval, illness or disaster might follow.
Maintaining Family Harmony: Ancestors enforced respect for lineage and tradition.
Spiritual Authority: They were believed to see beyond the living, guiding destiny.

In short, consulting ancestors was about ensuring cosmic alignment—acting with the blessing of the past to secure the future.

Survival of Ancestral Customs Today

Even in modern times, echoes of these practices remain:

Families still bless farmland or houses before use.
Wedding rituals often include lighting candles or honoring deceased relatives.
Many cultures maintain ancestor altars at home, where offerings are made before major life changes.

Even seemingly secular acts—like “housewarming parties” or planting ceremonies—reflect ancient instincts to honor unseen forces before beginning something new.

Conclusion

Planting, building, and marrying were never just practical acts—they were sacred milestones that shaped the future of families. By consulting ancestors first, people ensured that their actions aligned with ancestral approval, spiritual protection, and cosmic harmony.

Though modern life often distances us from these traditions, the impulse to honor those who came before us still lingers. Every time we light a candle for a grandparent, dedicate a new home, or include ancestral remembrance in a wedding, we continue the age-old practice of seeking guidance from our roots.

By understanding why ancestors were once consulted before planting, building, or marrying, we reconnect with the wisdom of the past—and with the unseen bond that links us to generations before and after.

Was this article helpful to you? Please tell us what you liked or didn't like in the comments below.

About the Author: Alex Assoune

Alex Assoune (MS) is a global health and environmental advocate. He founded Panaprium to inspire others with conscious living, ethical, and sustainable fashion. Alex has worked in many countries to address social and environmental issues. He speaks three languages and holds two Master of Science degrees in Engineering from SIGMA and IFPEN schools.

What We're Up Against

Multinational corporations overproducing cheap products in the poorest countries.
Huge factories with sweatshop-like conditions underpaying workers.
Media conglomerates promoting unethical, unsustainable products.
Bad actors encouraging overconsumption through oblivious behavior.
- - - -
Thankfully, we've got our supporters, including you.
Panaprium is funded by readers like you who want to join us in our mission to make the world entirely sustainable.

If you can, please support us on a monthly basis. It takes less than a minute to set up, and you will be making a big impact every single month. Thank you.