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Spirits, Souls and Celebrations: A Look at Spooky Season Around the World
It's that time of year when spirits from the other side are thought to mingle with the mortals. Here, some ways people celebrate spooky season around the world.
Halloween
United States
Early iterations of trick-or-treating began in the Middle Ages. Then called "mumming," people disguised themselves and went to neighbors' doors performing dances and plays in exchange for food. The tradition made a big comeback with children in the United States after World War II, when sugar was no longer rationed and suburbs were flourishing. Today, trick-or-treating is a Halloween activity practiced in the U.K., Ireland, Canada and Australia.
Día de los Muertos
Mexico
Every year, families across Mexico gather at the gravesites of loved ones and create home altars bearing the deceased's favorite dishes, marigold flowers and other gifts. According to tradition, the gates of heaven open at midnight on October 31 and spirits can reunite with their families for 24 hours.
Fet Gede
Haiti
Each year, voodoo practitioners gather in cemeteries to honor the dead and make offerings of candles, pepper-infused alcohol—the spirits love spice—and bones. Attendees dress up in characterizations of important spirits, like Papa Gede, who is known for his top hat, sunglasses and cigar.
The Ouidah Voodoo Festival
Benin
Thousands of people travel to Benin every January from all over Africa to take part in the beachside ceremonies. Festivalgoers join processions, perform animal sacrifices and also pay respects to those who were uprooted from their homelands by the slave trade. Zangbeto, or "voodoo night watchmen," stand guard in intricate costumes made of hay to maintain safety and communicate with the spirit world.
Samhain
United Kingdom
Originating from the ancient Celtic tradition, Samhain marks the end of harvest season and the beginning of winter and is used as a time to honor the dead. It is also believed that on this night, hordes of fairies come to terrorize towns. Pictured here, a man representing the Winter King participates in a sunset ceremony. The holiday is also celebrated in Ireland and Scotland.
Dia de las Brujas
Spain
Halloween is a three-day celebration in Spain, complete with a mix of modern and ancient traditions. The first day is Day of the Witches, in which costumed participants head to bonfires. The town of Sant Feliu Sasserra specifically honors the women who were accused of witchcraft and killed during the Spanish Inquisitions.
La Toussaint
France
All Saints' Day, a public holiday in France, is a day to spend time with family and visit the graves of those lost. Cemeteries transform into gardens filled with chrysanthemums and immortal wreaths in remembrance of the dead.
Pchum Ben
Cambodia
This 15-day period is when souls return from the spirit world to their families and repent for wrongdoings. Their living relatives bring offerings to pagodas, make food to feed them and pray for their souls. On the last day of the festival, thousands of people head to a small village northeast of Phnom Penh, where a water buffalo race marks the celebration's end.
Hungry Ghost Festival
Hong Kong
All of the rituals that take place throughout this month-long festival have one goal: to keep roaming ghosts out of mischief while the gates of the spirit world are open. Along with food offerings, there are several recommended guidelines for appeasing ghosts. For example, don't take the last bus of the night (that's for otherworldly guests) and don't hang clothes outside at dark (the ghosts love to pilfer human wardrobes).
Pangangaluluwa
Philippines
On October 31 in rural Filipino areas celebrants participate in this age-old tradition, dressing in white to represent the spirits and traveling house to house singing songs in exchange for food, money and prayers. During this time, families also visit cemeteries and clean the tombs of loved ones.
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