Skulls, candles or dressing up as a cow?

Drawing skulls on the face, cleaning graves, refreshments in cemeteries, dressing up in crazy masks?  These are just a fewof the many diverse traditions and holidays that occur aroundthe world. How do you celebrate your deceased relatives and ancestors?

I was inspired to write this blog by my friend Masha, who toldme that they go to cemeteries with a special cake at Easter and families have a picnic at the cemetery. My grandmother, at theage of almost 90, left us a few days ago. I probably will note at a cake on her grave, but I'll plant thyme in the area, whichwe collected and dried together throughout my childhood.

Skulls, candles or dressing up as a cow?

Honoring our ancestors looks different across cultures and religions, but it all boils down to one similar thread: to be gratefulfor those who came before us. We can honor our ancestors by:remembering them; learning about them; celebrating them, theirlives, and their deeds or by participating in relevant and appropriate cultural and religious events.

Through traditional celebrations, we establish connectionsbetween past, current, and future generations Now, a lot of thesecelebrations and traditions revolve around cultural and religiousbeliefs. These beliefs and traditions vary, and with that variancecomes room for each of us to learn more, understand more, and become more. Some cultures, traditions, and religions believe thatthe spirits of their ancestors carry on after death. Others do not.Other practices, seen as a normal way to connect two worldswithin the local cultural and religious traditions, could be seen as idolatrous or problematic by others – unless you’re willing to takeanother look.

For example: Alters used on Dia de Los Muertos, aren’t usedin worship, but as part of an “offering” to connect the worldsof the living and the dead. Or Baptisms for the Deceased, whih is another way to honor our ancestors that could befrequently taken out of context or misunderstood. Or have youheard of Ancestral Veneration? Ancestral veneration involvesseveral aspects, including asking ancestors (or saints) to helpin the afterlife, in the current life, or in asking a deity to havemercy on an ancestor.

When we understand that these concepts are all ways to honor our ancestors, they become more understandable – and maybeeven something that we could see ourselves doing. Becauseno matter your belief, you can think and honor your ancestorsand the life they lived, honor them, or honor their memory. Around the world, many people celebrate holidays thatinclude honoring ancestors.

Halloween, All Saints Day, and All Souls’ Day are rootedback in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Samhainevolved over the years. First, it was adopted and adapted by the Romans when they ruled the area. Next, the Catholicchurch tried adapting things to better fit their beliefs. Thingscontinued to evolve into the current iteration of All Saints Dayand All Souls’ Day. They are days to honor saints and ourancestors.

To this day, All Souls’ Day involves visiting cemeteries, lightingcandles, praying for our ancestors and leaving treats for the dead. Celebrations take different forms depending on the country and region. For example, families in Italy set empty places at theirtables for deceased relatives, while Polish families gather to paytheir respects by caring for family graves. Like Dia de los Muertos, All Souls’ Day revolves around the idea that our kindreddead are still near us. We just need to remember them.

How did All Saints Day and All Souls’ Day morph intoHalloween? First off, there are still plenty of people whocelebrate both of those holidays. So they’re still around. But, for some of us, Halloween came around because All SaintsDay was also called All Hollow’s Day. So the day before it, Allhallows Eve, became known as Allhallow e’en. Halloweenhas become a totally different type of holiday – at least in theUnited States. Here it involves costumes, candy, and craziness(but the fun kind). It’s become a new tradition, albeit a somewhat commercialized one. 

Día de los Muertos -The Latin American equivalent to All Saint’sDay and All Souls’ Day is El Día de los Muertos, which means“The Day of the Dead.” It’s observed on the first and second daysof November.November 1st is “El Dia de los Inocentes,” or theday of children, also known as All Saints Day, when the souls of children can be reunited with their parents. November 2nd is AllSouls Day, or Day of the Dead, where the spirits of adults cancome back to visit their families. It is a multi-day celebration of ancestors and past generations. Many people build private altarsand offer flowers, food, and beverages to deceased loved ones. Itinvolves an amazing display of unique visuals, bright flowers, and elements steeped in symbolism. Skulls, and skeletons are everywhere during Día de Los Muertos. They’re an iconic visualassociated with the celebration. Families write and share funnypoems about how people died. This isn’t done to make light of anything, but rather to impart perspective.

Pchum Ben:The Cambodian festival of Pchum Ben occurs in the Khmer month Pheakta Bot, typically during September and October. It has several purposes: to honor family and ancestors of up to 7 generations and to appease the visitingspirits with food and other offerings. People celebratingPchum Ben do so by gathering in hometowns, visiting whereancestors lived or are buried, remembering ancestors, and throwing balls of rice. 

The Ghost Festival: The Ghost Festival (also called the Hungry GhostFestival) originates in China and is celebrated by both Taoists and Buddhists. It’s a day to appease the spirits of visiting ancestors, who are visiting for the ghost festival. As such, those whocelebrate the ghost festival leave out an assortment of offerings, including: candles, incense, lanterns – these lights will help theghosts find their way. These lights also give the ghosts directionson where to go. Paper mache offerings which are often in theform of clothes and other fine goods so that ancestors can havefine things, too.

Obon: In Japan, the Buddhist festival of Obon is typicallycelebrated in July or August. It is a three-day-long festival to honor ancestors and families. Spirits come to visit householdaltars. Lanterns are hung to guide spirits, traditional dances are performed, and offerings are made at private altars and temples. Historically, it’s a lot like a combined Hungry Ghost Festival and Qingming in many of its trappings, as it involves visits fromspectral ancestors and cleaning of graves. An important part of the Bon festival is to help free ancestors of their pain.

Gai Jatra: Gai Jatra is a Nepalese celebration to honor and remember all of those loved ones who have passed within the lastyear. It’s the day to connect with those who have died while theymake the official transition from this life to the next. This happy celebration is full of singing, stick dancing, and cows. Here’s thestory behind Gai Jatra. In the 17th century, the king and queenlost a son. The king, in order to help his queen understand thatthey weren’t alone in their mourning, organized a new celebration. Everyone who had lost someone in the last yeardressed up as a cow – and the queen was able to see that shewasn’t alone in her grief. Why cows? As we understand it, it’ssaid that grabbing the tail of a cow facilitates passage to heaven.

Chuseok: Is an autumn celebration in Korea held in honor of ancestors. Those who celebrate Chuseok travel to theirhometowns, participate in ancestor celebrations and/or worship, enjoy delicious food, and tidy graves.

These are just a few of the many varied traditions and holidaysfound throughout the world. How do you celebrate your relativesand ancestors? If you are interested how many more othercultures celebrate and honor their ancestors, you can read more about it How Do You Honor Ancestors? 12 Family HistoryCelebrations (genealogypals.com)

Whether you offer up prayers or clean the graves of yourancestors, one thing is sure: your journey continues. Somewhere, somehow, those who came before us are honoring us now as wetake each precious breath. They lived, and that is an awe-inspiringfeat that we can celebrate every day.

Alexandra Alexander