Veneration

Veneration is the act of regarding someone or something with deep respect or reverence. It denotes devotion, honor, or esteem that stops short of worship, although in many religious traditions the line between veneration and worship can be debated or defined differently. The term derives from Latin veneratio, meaning regard or esteem.

In religious contexts, veneration is commonly directed toward deities, saints, ancestors, relics, or sacred objects. Practices may include prayer, offerings, incense, lighting candles, kissing icons or relics, pilgrimages, and ritual prostrations. In Catholic and Orthodox Christian traditions, veneration of saints and icons is distinguished from the worship due to God (latria); saints may be venerated (dulia) and the Virgin Mary given special reverence (hyperdulia). In Hinduism, murti or image worship is a form of reverence to the divine manifested in form. In Buddhism, devotees venerate buddhas and bodhisattvas through chants, offerings, and prostrations. East Asian traditions emphasize ancestor veneration, ritual remembrance, and filial piety as a social and religious practice. Some Protestant movements discourage or prohibit the veneration of saints or icons as an adoption of idolatry, preferring direct worship of God.

Outside organized religion, veneration can refer to the reverential regard shown to historical figures, monuments, or national symbols. It may be expressed through ceremonies, commemorations, and rituals that acknowledge perceived importance or moral example. Veneration is thus a broad concept encompassing both formal devotional acts and culturally mediated respect.