From the beginning of history to the present day, people from all over the world have gathered to enjoy festivals, celebrations, and ceremonies of all kinds. Some, like funerals, are solemn events where people lay their loved ones to rest and find comfort in their sadness in groups. Others, like harvest festivals, are a way of giving thanks for harvesting enough food to survive the cold winter months. And some, like weddings and birthdays, are joyful celebrations to mark a happy event.

There are other types of festivals as well. Scary ones! Scary ones! Those full of creatures that go BUMP at night! One of the most famous spooky holidays is Halloween, celebrated all over the world and becoming especially popular in Europe and North America. Festivals have many traditions. Maybe for Halloween you dressed up as a witch, carved a face into a pumpkin, and went trick-or-treating. But have you ever wondered why? Or who was the first to celebrate these holidays and where did they live?

Let’s take a trip all over the world to discover the many incredible spooky festivals that are celebrated, each with their unique customs, beliefs and traditions:

1. Halloween – North America and Europe

It’s a cold autumn evening and the streets are filled with excited children dressed as ghosts, ghouls and witches. They shout, “Trick or treat!” » and fill their bags with gifts offered by their neighbors. Pumpkins carved to look like faces sparkle and shine on doorsteps and window sills.

Families stay up late watching scary movies and sharing ghost stories. This is Halloween, a holiday that takes its name from the pagan festival All Hallows’ Eve, from which it originated and which is now famous throughout the world.

The custom of trick or treat dates back more than 1,000 years to medieval times, when people went from house to house offering to pray for their dead. In exchange, they received soul cakes, small round cakes resembling shortbread, filled with spices and raisins.

2. Chuseok – South Korea

The South Korean holiday of Chuseok is all about family, living or dead, and the fall harvest. This three-day holiday, which usually takes place in September, sees millions of people reunite with their families (often at grandparents’ homes). Once gathered, they cook, eat and perform traditional rituals to thank their ancestors for a successful harvest.

Chuseok morning is reserved for charyewhen families prepare traditional dishes and then place them on a table as an offering to their ancestors. Favorites include songpyeon rice cakes made from ground rice, filled with sesame seeds, red beans and chestnuts. A dish of fried noodles with mushrooms, onions and carrots called japchaeAnd JeonFried pancakes made with fish, sweet potato and zucchini are served.

Republic of Images | Shutterstock

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3. Khamis al-Amwat – The Levant

It’s early in the morning in the Levant, a area in the Middle East. The warm waters of the Eastern Mediterranean lap the shore and the air is filled with the smell of sea salt and cypress trees. It’s dark.

In the east, the sun has not yet risen to warm the fields, deserts and mountains, but an orange glow appears on the horizon. Dawn is near. The doors open, people leave their homes and head towards the cemeteries to perpetuate centuries-old traditions of Khamis al-Amwat, also known as Dead Thursday.

The common festival of Khamis al-Amwat is believed to date back to the 12th century, during the era called the Crusades. The Crusades refer to the time when Muslims and Christians fought for control of holy sites in the Middle East. When Muslim leader Saladin recaptured the Levant from Christian crusaders, he introduced Khamis al-Amwat as a way for people of both faiths to come together and help bring peace and religious tolerance to the region.

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4. Pchum Ben – Cambodia

During the fifteen days of Pchum Ben, Buddhists in Cambodia devote their thoughts to the dead. Families come together and pay homage to the last seven generations of ancestors who have passed away.

Taking place in the tenth month of the Buddhist calendar, Pchum Ben is a time for quiet reflection, food, family togetherness and shared activities. After all, pchum means “to gather” and ben means “food.”

These are the suffering spirits sent to Naraka that people want to help during Pchum Ben. It is believed that the doors of Naraka open and seven generations of unfortunate souls are free to wander among the living.

Hungry, they wander to Buddhist templesin search of food. And if their living families have left nothing to eat, the spirits will seek revenge and curse them with bad luck.

Thomas Allen | Unsplash

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5. Festival of Masks — Mali

The 90-mile-long sandstone cliffs of the Bandiagara Escarpment rise magnificently above Mali’s scrub-strewn plains. Impressive villages with thatched buildings nestle beneath its outcrops.

Above, in the deep, winding caves, lie the bones of people buried centuries ago. It is the home of the Dogon people, who make incredible masks every year to celebrate the Festival of Masks.

The Dogon believe that the natural world is closely linked to the spiritual world of gods and deceased souls. Every year in April and May, men from each village wear striking wooden masks and perform elaborate dances to celebrate the Festival of Masks. The festival honors local people who have died over the past year and helps their souls reach the afterlife.

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British author Matt Ralphs writes non-fiction and fiction for children, often focusing on history, myth and folklore. His previous works include Season of the Witch, Norse Myths and Secrets of the Dead. This piece is taken from his book, Spooky celebrations around the world.