The ancestral altar is the most sacred place in every home. Regardless of faith and world view, the worship of ancestors plays an important - if not the most important - role in the spiritual life of the Vietnamese. For them, the living are not separated from the dead; rather, the souls of the ancestors dwell at the ancestral altar in every family. The most important and largest altar is usually in the house of the eldest son, but the younger sons also have at least a small altar with photographs of the dead and all the things that the deceased ancestor valued in life as offerings. Here the dead are honored with repeated offerings on the first and fifteenth day of each month according to the lunar calendar, on the anniversary of the death and on New Year's Day. The ancestors are informed about all family matters. They share all joys and sorrows with the living, and families often ask their ancestors for assistance before major undertakings such as building a new house, closing a business deal or planning a wedding.