Day of the Dead International

From the end of September to the middle of October, Buddhist families gather together to celebrate Pchum Ben, a religious holiday to celebrate the dead. People give foods like sweet sticky rice and beans wrapped in banana leaves and visit temples to offer up baskets of flowers as a way to pay respect to their deceased ancestors. It’s also a time for people to celebrate the elderly.

This tradition Day of the Dead tradition belongs to...

• The Philippines

• India

• Cambodia

• Nigeria

On November 1, many Catholics around the world celebrate All Saints’ Day, followed by All Souls’ Day on November 2. It’s an annual time to honor the lives of the saints who died for their Catholic beliefs, as well as the souls of dead family members. In observance of the holiday, people go to mass and visit the graves of their loved ones. While the event is celebrated worldwide, this country has its own tradition: Many hide their kitchen knives, so that returning spirits won’t be accidentally harmed (or use the same knives to harm the living).

This Day of the Dead tradition belong to...

• Romania

• Italy

• Poland

• Germany

In early November, people across this country travel to cemeteries to visit the graves of their family members (Dzień Zaduszny is like the equivalent of All Souls’ Day for Catholics in the country). The holiday is celebrated with candles, flowers, and an offering of prayers for departed relatives. On the second day, people attend a requiem mass for the souls of the dead.

This Day of the Dead tradition belongs to...

• Romania

• Ireland

• Japan

• Poland

At the end of every October for the past 21 years, nearly 4,000 costumed Halloween enthusiasts from all around the world have gathered in the capital of this country, for the Halloween Parade, which is the biggest parade of its kind. However, not everyone can simply join in the festivities. This Halloween Parade has strict guidelines and standards, so you have to apply for entry two months before the parade begins.

This Day of the Dead tradition belongs to...

• Germany

• Hong Kong

• Mexico

• Japan

Pangangaluluwa is a tradition in this country where children go door to door, often in costumes, where they sing and ask for prayers for those stuck in purgatory. While the rituals have increasingly been supplanted by trick-or-treating over the years, some towns are working tirelessly to revive Pangangaluluwa as a way of keeping the tradition alive, and as a local fundraiser.

This Day of the Dead tradition bleongs to...

• The Philippines

• Hong Kong

• Cambodia

• Hawaii

This country is considered the birthplace of modern Halloween with its origins stemming from ancient Celtic and Pagan rituals and a festival called Samhain, or Samhuinn (end of the light half of the year), that took place thousands of years ago. Today, this country celebrates Halloween with bonfires, games, and traditional foods like barmbrack, a fruitcake that contains coins, buttons, and rings for fortunetelling. For example, rings mean marriage, while coins mean wealth in the upcoming year.

This Day of the Dead tradition belongs to...

• Germany

• Romania

• Ireland

• Norway

The Awuru Odo Festival marks the return of dearly departed friends and family members back to the living. Lasting up to sic months, the holiday is celebrated with feasts, music, and masks before the dead return to the spirit world. Although the Odo Festival is an important ritual, it happens once every two years, when it is believed the spirits will return to Earth.

This Day of the Dead tradition belongs to...

• South Africa

• Nigeria

• Turkey

• Georgia

People from all around the world flock to celebrate Halloween at Vlad “The Impaler” Tepes’ purported home at Bran Castle in this country (although it was never actually his castle, and there’s been a long-running debate over whether he ever even visited the site). There are a number of guides and inclusive travel packages that offer tours and parties at Count Dracula’s castle for Halloween.

This Day of the Dead traditiion belongs to...

• Hungary

• Romania

• Russia

• Croatia

Much of the mythology around Halloween involves the return of the souls of family and friends. Some people from this country hide all their knives at Halloween so that returning spirits won’t be accidentally harmed (or use the same knives to harm the living). Though not swinging knives around is probably a good rule to follow the whole year around anyway.

This Day of the Dead tradition belongs to...

• Slovenia

• France

• Switzerland

• Germany

On the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, which is around mid-August to mid-September, the people of in this country celebrate the Hungry Ghost Festival. In several parts of this continent, people believe that spirits get restless around this time of the year and begin to roam the world. The festival is a way to “feed” these spirits both the food and money they need for the afterlife, It’s part of a larger month-long celebration that also features burning paper and food offerings.

This Day of the Dead tradition belongs to...

• Hong Kong

• China

• New Zealand

• Greenland