Ways to Honor the Dead Around the World

The emotion of love and the strong connection we have with our loved ones never fade away. The bond of love is all that remains even after some of our loved ones leave this plane (Earth) and transcend to the Heavens. In this world where there are over 8 billion people approximately, who belong to diverse ethnic groups, speak different languages, follow vivid cultures and who have different lifestyles, one thing which makes us all alike is the unconditional love we all have for our family and friends which cannot be forgotten even after death. Death is inevitable but the soul is immortal.

When the soul departs from this plane, it can still see us. Though it is not in the physical form, the souls of our deceased beloved family members can still bless us. Many ancient Scriptures across almost all the ethnicities mention about honouring the souls of our deceased beloved family members and friends. Just the way in Hinduism we perform Shraddh during Pitru Paksha.

Similarly, various cultures across the world perform vivid rituals in remembrance of the deceased family member/s. Let us take a look at the various ways in which the dead are honoured across the world in various cultures.

Pitru Paksha, India

Celebrated, across the country by people belonging to Hindu religion, it is a period of 16 lunar days according to the Hindu Calendar. During this period people perform Shraddh (a Holy ritual of offering prayers, food and water) in the name of the deceased family member. According to the belief, performing Shraddh or tarpan in this period appeases the deceased ancestors and gives their restless souls peace. It is also believed that the souls of our ancestors bless us abundantly if we do this ritual with pure devotion and love.

Gaijatra, Nepal

Gaijatra which literally means cow fair is an event which takes place in the month of August and September in Nepal. This event lasts for a period of 8 days. This occasion is organised in remembrance of people who passed away (died) in the previous year. The event commences by walking a huge procession of cows through the middle of the town. The cows are led by the family members who have lost their dear ones in the preceding year. In Hinduism cows are considered to be sacred. It is believed that this procession would guide the souls of the recently deceased people to their heavenly abode. This event is also organised in order to help the family who has lost their loved one to accept the truth of their beloved member’s passing away and to ease the pain they are going through.

All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day

The All-Saints Day or the All-Souls Day is observed by the ethnic group following the Western Christianity. After the Halloween which is also known as Hallows Eve, the All-Souls Day is celebrated in November, mainly on the first and second days. On this day the Christians remember their deceased family members and ancestors. This day being a holiday, the family members of the deceased visit the graves of their beloved deceased family member and light candles and place flowers on the grave. On this day even the saints and martyrs who gave their life are remembered. The Christians also attend religious acts by going to the Church and have a small family gathering.

Bon Festival, Japan

One of the oldest and highly celebrated festivals which has been observed for over 500 years is the Bon Festival. This festival is also known as Obon and is celebrated throughout Japan. In order to commemorate the deceased ancestors this festival is celebrated. According to the tradition of Buddhist-Confucians, this is not just an ordinary event hence, on this day scrumptious feast is prepared and the roads are lit with colourful lights and one can witness a range of different fireworks which lit up the sky. Along with this, there are various games which are played and dance performances are organised which also includes a form of dance known as the Bon Odori, which is known to welcome the spirits of our deceased ancestors and of the family members who have died recently. The Bon Festival is a visual treat along with tummy filling treats that is sure to appease the souls of the deceased. The Japanese Buddhist-Confucians celebrate this day with utmost zeal and pure emotion.

The Hungry Ghost Festival, China

One of the most iconic periods according to the Chinese calendar is the seventh lunar month which is renowned as the ‘Ghost Month’. This entire month is known for remembering and honouring the deceased members of the family. Mainly the ‘Hungry Ghost Festival’ is celebrated in the Ghost Month which is the seventh lunar month, on the fifteenth night. According to the Chinese belief, spirits and ghosts exists and in the seventh lunar month, these spirits whether good or evil visit our earthly plane. Leaving the dark underworld where the souls and ghost’s dwell, these spirits come to Earth and wander around. It is impossible for us to see these souls but, the souls can see us. Thus, to liberate the souls of the deceased from all the sufferings and to honour them, the Hungry Ghost festival is celebrated. The entire month is dedicated to honour the souls and this is done by cooking delicious food and making different offerings. Some people also set an extra chair on the dining table as a sign to invite the soul of their deceased family member to come and eat along with the family. Though the entire month is dedicated for honouring the deceased souls but special preparations and emphasis is given to the fifteenth day of the month. At the end of this festival, people visit the river banks or lakes and light water lamps which are of flower shape. These lanterns are placed on the lake or river waters as a symbol of showing the way to the spirits to go back to the underworld where they dwell.

Apart from this festival, the rich Chinese culture also observe another event which is known as ‘Qingming’. This too is a festival of honouring the dead. Qingming is also renowned as the Tomb Sweeping Day or the Ancestors Day. The celebrations of the Qingming are observed in the month of April. During Qingming, families visit the tomb of the deceased family members and clean them. The ritual also comprises of offering food and tea along with joss paper on the tombs of the deceased. Joss paper are considered to be sacred by the Chinese people and these sheets of paper are mostly burned while performing the age-old traditional ceremonies of the Chinese. Burning the joss paper sheets is a ritual known to honour the deities and also the deceased.

Pchum Ben, Cambodia

Pchum Ben is one of the most important ancient ritualistic events which is observed by the people of Khmer culture. Every year during the mid of September and mid of October, the event of Pchum Ben is observed. This particular event spans for the period of fifteen days. During this time period of fifteen days, the Cambodians visit the temples which are known as Pagodas and make an offering of food and drinks. Making these offerings is believed to ease the sufferings of the deceased soul.

Ari Muyang, Carey Island

The Ari Muyung festival is celebrated with complete zeal by people belonging to the aboriginal ethnicity. This ethnic group of people reside on the island of Carey which is approximately 140 kms from Kuala Kumpur which is the capital of Malaysia. The tradition of observing the Ari Muyang has been practiced since ancient times and this festival is observed in remembrance of the deceased family members, ancestors. On this day, people of the Carey islands dress in bright magnificent outfits accompanied by beautiful and interesting masks. They offer prayers to the deceased ancestors with an intend that the souls of their ancestors attain peace and to seek the blessings of their forefathers. On this event people also give thanks to their deceased ancestors for giving them the gift of fortunate life and also offer prayers to the ancestors, asking to bless them with abundance, prosperity and material bliss.

Chuseok, South Korea

One of the highly revered and celebrated holidays of the South Korea is the event of Chuseok. This event is observed to offer thanks and gratitude to the ancestors for blessing the family with a good harvest. The Chuseok is an event to honour and pay respect to the deceased by the Koreans. On this day, many people visit their ancestorial houses and perform rituals to offer thanks, and to souls of the deceased while some pay visit to the tombs of their deceased family members and clean it. The Chuseok is also celebrated by few of the North Koreans, but it is not as popular or highly celebrated in North Korea.

El Día de los Muertos, Mexico

El Día de los Muertos literally means the ‘The Day of the Dead’ which is a celebration done to honour the dead. This festival is similar to the All-Saint’s Day and All-Souls’ Day and is generally celebrated on the first and second day of November. El Día de los Muertos is indeed a lively celebration which can be witnessed all across Mexico. The origination of this day dates back to the celebrations of the Harvest festival which was done in Aztec, during which the Lady of the Dead, Goddess Mictecacihuatl is offered prayers. The entire celebrations of the Aztec festival are dedicated to this goddess. Similarly, in Mexico it is believed that mourning or expressing grief would offend and make the souls of the departed sad. Therefore, on this day, the people of Mexico get together with family and friends and eat food together, drink and laugh and even play games and get involved in activities which were once liked and done by the deceased while they were alive or during their living time span. El Día de los Muertos is truly a lively celebration which is done in honour of the dead and to rejoice and relive the happy memories.

Famadihana, Madagascar

Famadihana is one of the most unique ritual which is done in remembrance of the deceased and to honour them. Famadihana is also known as the ‘turning of the bones’. It is a ritual which is performed by the Malagasy people who live in Madagascar. The ritual of Famadihana as mentioned earlier is one of the most unusual ritual, as in this ritual, the dead bodies of the family members are removed from their graves or crypts. Then perfume is sprayed on the corpse or the body of the deceased is drenched in wine, then a new silk cloth is wrapped around the corpse and the name of the deceased is written over the cloth. These corpses are then carried on the head and taken around the tomb while live music is played.

The people who carry the corpse on their head along with the other who participate in the ritual dance on the music while taking the corpse around the tomb and once the rituals are done, the corpse is placed back in their respective graves or crypts. The people of the Madagascar believe that until the corpse is completely decomposed, the soul of that deceased person crosses over from their realm to our plane (Earth) and often travel to and from. This traditional ritual is performed once in every seven years. However, the ritual of Famadihana is not really practiced by all the Malagasy people with a drastic decline in practising this ritual.

Wonderful, isn’t it? Thus, irrespective of the language, race, state, ethnicity and lifestyles, one thing that remains common all across the world, is the bond of love which is celebrated even after one’s death.