Wherever your loved one rests, whether in a niche, a burial plot or elsewhere, there is one clear place to pay respects.
About ancestral tablets
Why ancestral tablets?
It is really quite simple: a set place for prayers, somewhere descendants can return to remember, and a way for the family's devotion to be passed on.
If space at home is limited or your way of life has changed, a more stable arrangement can be made for the tablet.
It carries more than names: it holds gratitude, custom and family heritage.
For modern families
Your ancestral tablet at home can also be re-housed.
Some families have always kept their ancestral tablets at home, but begin to consider new arrangements after moving house, moving into an apartment, having children living away for long periods, or when home is no longer suitable for the tablets.
Whether moving or re-housing a tablet is right for you depends on your family's situation, customs and wishes. It is best simply to understand the options first.
Limited space at homeNo permanent altar, or long-term offerings are hard to keep up.
Children living awayWanting a more stable place for prayers that is easier to come back to.
Centralised upkeepEnshrining the tablet in a dignified, tidy space with long-term upkeep.
Common ways to enshrine
Tablets can be enshrined in different forms.
Many families call them all "ancestral tablets" (神主牌), but when it comes to enshrinement, they are commonly understood in the two broad ways below. What they are called differs with family background and custom; a simple overview is enough for now.
Tablets for your ancestors
Mostly used to enshrine a family's ancestors across the generations. It emphasises lineage and continuity, and prayers are offered to the family's ancestors as a whole.
Generations of ancestors · Family heritageMemorial tablet
Can be set up for an individual or a couple, as a dedicated place to remember and pray for a particular loved one, with the focus on that person.
Individual / couple · Personal memorialNorthern Region locations
See locations in the Northern Region
In the Northern Region, you can currently explore the actual ancestral tablet spaces and options in Penang, Bukit Mertajam and Sungai Petani.
If you already have a tablet at home, you can first find out how it could be arranged.
There's no need to decide in a hurry. Tell us about your family's situation first, then take your time to find a suitable way to enshrine it.