folk religion

Popular religion that may be divergent from the official teachings and doctrines of the majority faith. Folk religions often combine the ancient indigenous beliefs of a region with a sophisticated religion of more recent date.

In China, folk religion is the mixture of Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist elements that constitutes everyday religion in the villages, as distinct from the religious life of the Taoist and Buddhist monasteries. In southern Europe, it is the mixture of beliefs that focus on conventional Catholic notions such as the saints or the Mass. In northern Europe, it is the kind of popular religion that brings people to church for baptisms, marriages, and funerals, even if they do not attend at any other time.