Samhain, in Ireland
Ireland, with its Celtic and pagan origins, is the birthplace of the celebration that inspired modern Halloween: Samhain. Today this festival is celebrated in different pagan communities, and marks the beginning of the pagan year or wheel of the year. It is believed that at this time the veil that separates the plane of the living from that of the spirits thins.
Pangangaluluwa, in the Philippines
This celebration takes place on October 31, and in it the children go out in disguise and go from door to door singing and asking for prayers, as if they were souls stuck in purgatory. The houses visited, in return, must offer some detail that could bring them back to life.
Hungry Ghost Festival, Hong Kong
This festival happens every 15th day of the seventh lunar month, around August and September, and arises from the belief that spirits begin to roam the world on that day. The festival includes offerings of food and money so that the dead have everything they need in the underworld.
Pitru Paksha, in India
This festival occurs in September (this year is from September 20 to October 6), this celebration takes place, which comes from the belief that, when a person dies, Yama, the Hindu god of death, wears his soul to purgatory, where he meets the last three generations of his family. In Pitru Paksha, souls can return to Earth briefly to be with their families.
Dzień Zaduszny, in Poland
In early November, people visit cemeteries to visit the graves of their relatives and decorate them with candles and flowers. Prayers and offerings are also made.
Ognissanti, in Italy
On the first of November this festival takes place, whose activity consists of bringing flowers to the graves of the dead, both known and strangers. At dusk, red candles are usually lit in the windows and a place is set in the month for the spirits who come to visit.
Awuru Odo Festival, in Nigeria
This festival takes place every two years and lasts up to six months, from November to April. During this time, the dead return to earth and it is celebrated with parties, music, and masks throughout the season.
Pchum Ben, in Cambodia
From the end of September to mid-October, this Buddhist festival is held that honors the memory of the dead. People offer food and visit temples to celebrate the dead, although the holiday also extends to the elderly.
Kukeri, in Bulgaria
This is undoubtedly one of the funniest festivities around death. It occurs during the last weekend of January, and people from all the towns of the country gather on the outskirts of Sofia to stroll dressed as monsters (each town has a different monster). They are very elaborate costumes, with the purpose of driving away evil spirits.
Gai Jatra, in Nepal
This annual festival celebrates the dead with song and dance. The point is that it is a very happy festival to ease the pain and celebrate death. It takes place in Kathmandu in July or August, depending on the lunar calendar. Children often wear cow costumes, since these animals were donated to the temples at funerals so that the dead could find peace.
Tet Trung Nguyên, in Vietnam
This is a version of the hungry ghost festival, but here is a moment of forgiveness for the ghosts in hell. People feed their ancestors and offer them money and paper clothes to help them transcend.
Hari Raya Galungan, in Indonesia
This two-week festival – which occurs every 210 days – honors ancestors who return home, as well as the triumph of good over evil. Food, clothing and money are offered to the deities.
Totensonntag, in Germany
On the Sunday before Advent, Protestants visit their loved ones in cemeteries. For regulatory reasons, in almost all of Germany these celebrations take place in silence.
Radonitsa, in Russia
On the second day of Easter, people visit the cemeteries of their loved ones to share a meal with them. These places turn into huge parties.
Jum Il-Mekhtin, in Malta
In this party they release a pig with a bell around its neck. The rich people of the town catch it and cook for the whole town, to feed the poor. Throughout the month of November, they sell cakes to remember the dead.