One of the world’s oldest holidays, Halloween, is still widely celebrated today. It is especially popular in the United States, where more than 60% of the population decorate their homes and offices for Halloween. While customs vary from country to country, from honoring one’s ancestors to trick or treating in scary costumes, the theme is centered around spirits and ghosts of the dead. This month we take a look at some interesting Halloween traditions from around the world.
Halloween Traditions: Feast of Hungry Ghosts – China
During Teng Chieh, or the Feast of the Hungry Ghosts, it is thought that the gates between the world of the living and the afterlife open, and hungry ghosts emerge to wander around the earth looking for food, or worse yet, revenge on their enemies. The ghosts are thought to be the spirits of dead relatives who suffered a wrongful death or sinned during their lifetime. According to Chinese custom, families must pay tribute to the spirits of their dead family members so that they will not bring them any misfortune. Typically, food offerings are made to please the spirits and lanterns are lit to help them find their way. Loud outdoor opera performances are also common, with front row seats kept open for visiting spirits. Another custom is the making and burning of paper boats and other such objects to honor the dead.
Halloween Traditions: Day of the Dead – Mexico
El dia de los muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday commemorating and honoring the dead. Officially celebrated on All Souls’ Day, the three-day celebration actually begins on Halloween evening when the dead are thought to return to their homes. Many families construct an altar decorated with flowers, photographs and the deceased’s favorite foods.
Rituals associated with honoring one’s ancestors date back at least three thousand years in Mexico. During pre-Hispanic times, it was common practice to keep skulls as trophies and display them as symbols of death and rebirth. Ancient festivities were presided over by the goddess known as the Lady of Death (La Catrina – see image to the right), wife of the Lord of the Land of the Dead. As in the past, the festivities associated with the holiday are still dedicated to the lives of deceased relatives.
Halloween – Ireland
Thought to be the birthplace of Halloween, it is still celebrated in Ireland today. Bonfires are lit in the Irish countryside like in the days of the Celts, and children dress up in costumes and go trick-or-treating. Most people attend Halloween parties where they play games such as Snap-Apple, a game in which players try to bite an apple hanging from a string.
One traditional Irish food typically eaten on Halloween is a type of fruitcake inside of which a wrapped treat is concealed. According to the Irish, the treat can tell the future of the person who finds it. If the prize is a ring, then the person will soon be married. If it is a piece of straw, the finder will have a prosperous year.
Halloween Traditions: Festival of Lanterns – Japan
Obon, or the Festival of Lanterns, is a Japanese Buddhist festival that commemorates the dead. Similar to other such festivals, it is dedicated to the spirits of ancestors. Special foods are prepared as offerings and houses are decorated with red lanterns. Toro nagashi (floating lanterns) symbolizing the ancestors’ spirits are floated down the river to the ocean.
Obon is one of the main occasions during the Japanese year when the dead are believed to return to their birthplaces. Based on a Buddhist text which describes how a devout monk danced with joy upon successfully releasing his deceased mother’s spirit. Today, many perform regional folk dances, or oron odori, to honor loved ones who have passed away.
Odo Festival – Nigeria
The Odo Festival marks the return of the dead in Igbo villages in Nigeria.The Igbo tribe believes that the dead are reincarnated and return to their families in their next life to protect them from evil spirits. The spirits of the dead, known as the Odo, are thought to return to the earth to visit their families only every two years. During this time, the dead are welcomed back from the spirit world with elaborate feasts, performances and celebrations.
Having visited their former homes, after six months the spirits must then take their leave. But before they depart, tribesman put on big performances in which masked players representing the spirits reenact the story of their visit to the living, and the agony of their departure. Igbo men perform most of the rituals, while the women are responsible for preparing abundant food for the festivities.
Share some of your Halloween traditions with us!
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