6 Holidays That Honor the Dead

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Everyone on Earth either already has or someday will lose someone they love. It is one of the unfortunate but undeniable facts of life that eventually life comes to an end. What happens after that end has been a matter of religious debate for thousands of years, but no one with any sense of reality ever claimed that the end does not eventually arrive for everyone. When it does, the ones left behind are forced to grapple with their loss.

Everyone mourns and grieves in their own way, but even after the worst of the grieving process is over, people still miss those that have died. They will continue to miss their loved ones until they too cross over. As such, almost every culture on Earth has some way to remember, recognize and reconnect with departed loved ones. This may be done in small, personal ways at home or in large, communal ceremonies. It may happen every day or it may be as part of a larger festival. Many cultures have celebrations that are dedicated entirely to remembering and honoring those that have died. Here are six holidays that honor the dead.

Samhain

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Samhain is a festival that is believed to have begun with the ancient Celtic peoples. Today, the holiday continues to be practiced by a wide variety of Neopagan groups. In most traditions in the Northern Hemisphere, Samhain begins at sunset on October 31 and lasts until sunset on November 1. In the Southern Hemisphere, it takes place on May 1. It is believed that on Samhain the boundary between the realms of the living and the dead is thinner than at almost any other point during the year. As such, it is the ideal time to remember and speak to the spirits of loved ones who have died. Many Neopagans will visit graves of their loved ones, light candles or make special offerings in remembrance of those they have lost. Home altars are decorated with seasonal imagery or items that remind family members of loved ones who have died, and many Neopagan families take Samhain night to tell stories about those who are now gone.

Dia de los Muertos

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Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a holiday commonly celebrated in Mexico, Latin America and by Latinos in the United States. The holiday takes place over two days and is meant to show love and respect to deceased family members. Celebrators often paint their faces to look like stylized and highly decorated skulls, put on ceremonial clothing, hold parties and watch parades. They also make it a point to visit the graves of lost loved ones where they clean up any weeds or mess that may have formed around the grave and leave flowers, candles and other offerings by the grave. The celebration originated with the Aztec, Toltec and other Nahua peoples who did not see death as an ending. Instead, it was a new beginning, and the dead were still viewed as members of the community. On Dia de los Muertos, the dead returned to Earth. The modern Day of the Dead is a mix of this ancient tradition and the Catholic feast of All Saints’ Day.

Qingming

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Qingming is a Chinese festival that takes place on either April 4 or April 5 depending on the year. Also called the Tomb Sweeping Day or Pure Brightness Festival in English, Qingming is an important day of sacrifice for most Chinese people. During the celebration, people visit the graves of their ancestors and offer food, tea and wine to the spirits of the dead. They also burn incense and joss paper and clean up around the tombs. The visual act of sweeping up around the tombs gives the festival its name.

Once the sun sets, many people fly kites that have small colored lanterns tied to them. The lanterns look like stars in the sky, especially in China’s heavily polluted cities. The strings are then cut so that the kite can fly freely. This is said to bring good luck and eliminate disease.

Obon

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Obon takes place in mid to late August every year in Japan. This festival is believed to be the day when deceased ancestors return to the land of the living. The celebration is thought to be rooted in the Buddhist sutra “Urabon-kyo.” According to the scripture, Buddha instructed his disciples to offer food and drink for deceased ancestors on the 15th day of the seventh moon in order to show gratitude and respect to dead loved ones as well as free any who are suffering in the afterlife from their torment. During the modern festival, celebrants light lanterns and fires to guide the ancestral spirits home where families erect two shoryo-dana, altars bearing fruit, incense and flowers. One is meant for a family’s own ancestors and the other for any restless or angry spirits. Families also clean the tombs and graves of lost loved ones, and each region performs the Bon Odori, a community folk dance that varies wildly by region but has simple enough movements for anyone to follow. Those participating in the dance are often painted as popular character from myths and legends, such as Lady Shizuka, a famous court dancer, and the shapeshifting tricksters the fox and the raccoon-dog.

Pitru Paksha

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Pitru Paksha is a Hindu festival dedicated to dead ancestors. It is believed that during Pitru Paksha, ancestral spirits are allowed to leave Pitruloka, the world of departed souls, in order to receive offerings from their living relatives. A variety of offerings are made to appease these returning souls and earn blessings for the members of the family that are still living.

Hindus believe that the soul is eternal, but it will cycle through a variety of lives via reincarnation. In some traditions, souls temporarily take refuge in Pitruloka until they are meant to be reborn again. While they reside in Pitruloka, they remember their family members and are reliant on the living to avoid hunger and thirst. Once they are reborn, they will belong to a new family and leave the memories of their past life behind.

Gai Jatra

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Gai Jatra is usually celebrated between July and September. Gai Jatra, also called the Festival of Cows, is a holiday that is native to Nepal. Traditionally, any family who suffered a death in the last year would lead a cow through the streets of Kathmandu. If they did not have a cow, then a child dressed up as a cow would take part in the procession instead.

The procession of cows takes place in the morning, and once the procession is over, people tend to focus on making merry. They dress up in costume, put on masks and sing, dance and tell jokes until late in the evening.

Gai Jatra is meant to acclimate people to the idea that eventually everyone dies. By making merry on a day dedicated to death, people’s inevitable mortality seems less frightening. The very visual processions showing how many people have been lost in the past year also serves to remind those who are grieving that they are not alone. Death is a natural part of life.

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