Halloween, like many holidays, has a rather interesting
history. In fact Halloween’s roots are in in Paganism, going all the way back
to the Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts believed that, during Samhain,
supernatural beings were bought to Earth via a ‘door’ to the Celtic Otherworld.
In many parts of the world – and even in the UK to some
extent – Halloween has retained some of its spiritual aspects, and is not
merely an excuse to watch horror movies and eat sugary treats (although, who
needs an excuse?). Here, we take a look Halloween around the world and how
different cultures have their own Halloween-type traditions.
ASIA
In China and Hong Kong, ‘Halloween’ is actually on the
fifteenth night of the seventh month (around late August) and is known as Yu
Lan, aka the Hungry Ghost Festival. The main purpose of Yu Lan is to remember
family. Most would recognise Yu Lan by one particular ceremony: the floating of
a Chinese lotus lantern down a river. Another tradition is to leave food out
for the hungry ghosts of deceased family members – a common practise in much of
Buddhist and Hindu traditions. Similar festivals are held in Taiwan, Singapore
and Malaysia.
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