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30 Oct, 2019

Halloween Party Around The World

Halloween Party Celebration

Halloween Party Around The World

Image Source: https://campgoldenvalley.com/

Halloween is near! What is your plan for this year’s halloween party? What you gonna be? A zombie, super hero, princess, ghost, or else? Whatever your choice, we witching you a spook-tacular night. Did you know that every country has its own way to celebrate halloween? Well, it’s not always celebrated at October 31st. Curious? Let’s see some of them.

 

Mexico: Día de los Muertos

Halloween Party Around The World: Mexico

Image Source: Photo by Angela Wolz on Unsplash

The Día de los Muertos is a fusion of pre-Hispanic religious rites and Catholic feasts. This festival inscribed in 2008 on the UNESCO representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. If this festival sounds unfamiliar to you, I believe you can recognize it as “Day of The Dead”. Yes it’s the one we saw at a Disney movie, Coco. The celebration holds great significance in the life of Mexico’s indigenous communities. The purpose is to commemorates the transitory return to earth of deceased relatives and loved ones. It is annualy celebrated at the end of October to the beginning of November. In this event everyone will paint their face to look like calaveras (in Spanish means skull). This has also inspire the costume for halloween party. During the festival, the living family member will decorate the cemeteries, put the photo of the dead family and the dishes around the shrine. They will also scattering flower petals and lighting some candles. This is a leading path for the spirit from the cemetery to their home.

Read more: Indigenous Festivity Dedicated to The Dead

 

China: The Ghost Festival

Halloween Party Around The World: China

Image Source: https://ohopenhouse.org/

The Ghost Festival, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival / Zhongyuan Jie / Gui Jie / Yulan Festival. According to the Chinese calendar, this festival is held on the 15th night of the 7th month. The purpose of this festival is to worship and honor the ancestors. During the festival, people believe that the hell’s gate is open and there will be a bridge between the dead and the living. That’s why people will perform ceremonies or traditions to protect themselves from attacks or pranks by the ghosts. People will burn some things as a present for the deads. In chinese culture, people believe that the dead family members can use the given things after they all completely burn and turn into ashes. Some people will deliver money, luggage for travelling, clothes, passport, gold, and any other thing. The money, passport, gold and any other things are not real. It’s just a symbol to represent the real one. And of course, all those things must be burn down in the flame so that the deads can bring them all back to hell society.

Read more: Hungry Ghost Festival

 

Japan: Obon

Halloween Party Around The World: Japan

Image Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/

Halloween Party Around The World: Japan

Image Source: https://ilikevents.com/event/11423-obon-festival

Obon (お盆) is an annual Buddhist event for commemorating ancestors. It is believed that during the festival, the ancestors' spirits return to this world. Just like the Chinese and Mexican cultture, they are visiting their relatives. During the festival people will hung lanterns in front of houses. The purpose is to guide the ancestors' spirits to home. There are also obon dances performance (bon odori), graves are visited and foods offering are made at house altars and temples. At the end of Obon festival, the living family will floating the lanterns away into rivers, lakes and seas in order to guide the spirits back into their world. The conclusion, this event is not just an ordinary halloween party. More than that, it's a culture and tradition to honor the ancestors.

 

USA: Halloween

Halloween Party Around The World: USA

Image Source: Photo by Conner Baker on Unsplash

Did you know that the commercialization of Halloween started in the 1900s, when postcards and die-cut paper decorations were produced. Halloween costumes started to appear in the 1930s and the custom of 'trick-or-treat' appeared in the 1950s. Trick or treat? That’s how the kids will say when you answer their call by open your door. If you decided to staying at home during the halloween night, make sure you have the supply of the best candies. You can give it to please the hungry little spirit of your neighborhood (unless you want to get some disturb from their tricky little trick). Though the trick-or-treating activity is done by kids, it doesn’t mean adults can’t have some fun. Tthere are some other fun activities such as watching horror movies, dress up and attend costume party, decorate the house with graveyard and other scary things.

Read More: History of Halloween

 

We at Bright Internships team also have planned our halloween party celebration. Everyone on the team have to dressed up to join this party. Absoutely it will not be a horror and scary characters. Stay tune for our halloween party.