祖そ霊れい

noun

ancestor spirit; ancestral soul

General term for the spirit of a deceased ancestor, often venerated in ancestor worship.

• 祖そ霊れいを祀まつる祭まつりが毎まい年とし行おこなわれる。

  A festival to honor the ancestor spirits is held every year.

noun

collective ancestral spirit

In Japanese folk belief, the merged spirits of ancestors who have lost individual identity over time. Often associated with Obon and household altars.

• お盆ぼんには、祖そ霊れいが家いえに帰かえってくると信しんじられている。

  During Obon, it is believed that the collective ancestral spirits return home.