KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 — Born of Celtic pagan rituals, Halloween has become quite a global celebration where people dress up for the night and party until dawn.

Some even decorate their houses with displays that put simple carved pumpkins to shame, while children go trick-or-treating in their elaborate costumes. Even the film industry takes the chance to release a slew of horror movies.

Once assumed as a product of American culture, Halloween started as the festival of Samhain, part of the Celtic religion, according to the BBC.

When Christianity came into Europe, many pagan practices were not banned but incorporated into the religion, said Boston University master lecturer Regina Hansen.

Then Irish immigrants brought the practice to the United States and it became popular in the 19th century, spreading faster than a zombie outbreak to other parts of the world.

It is particularly popular in Japan, where in 2015, the Associated Press reported that some 20 million Japanese observed Halloween. Perhaps, it is not so different from their cosplay culture.

The festival has also seen an increase in popularity in Germany, especially among those aged between 18 and 29. Some 37 per cent of them planned to put on a costume, according to a 2017 YouGov survey.

National Geographic wrote that Novelty Retailers Association consultant Dieter Tschorn wanted to help his clients recoup their losses when the Gulf War in 1991 affected the Carnival celebrations in Germany.

Tschorn started pushing Halloween as a new festival after noting the Halloween parties organised by the US military in Germany.

Well, not everyone is fond of a commercial Halloween. There are other interesting rituals and celebrations that take place about the same time.

Samhain festival

With a history that predates Christianity, Samhain marks a division of summer and winter.

It is also believed that the barrier of the otherworld is thinner on the eve of the festival, which falls on Oct 31.

To appease the spirits and beings, the Celts would build large bonfires and sacrifice some animals.

Costumes made of animal skin are thought to help avoid spirit possessions. The rituals also stemmed from a belief for a better harvest next year.

The Celts would build large bonfires and sacrifice some animals during the Samhain festival. — YouTube image

A version of the festival is celebrated by way of rites, ceremonies, feasts, and gatherings with family and friends.

The town of Glastonbury in England is not only famous for its music festival but also for the Samhain Wild Hunt hosted by the Glastonbury Dragons.

The festivities revolve welcoming the Winter King and saying farewell to the Summer King. The colourful parade often has drumming, dancing and "dragons.”

Honouring Pomona

The Roman agricultural goddess Pomona is typically celebrated on Nov 1 and the ceremonies have left some influence on modern-day Halloween.

Known as the goddess of fruit and trees, Romans hold a harvest feast, particularly consuming nuts, apples and grapes.

According to the book Halloween and Commemorations of the Dead, Pomona’s festival and the Samhain influence resulted in an aura of romance, magic and enchantment.

One ritual is to bury apples to provide nourishment to the souls making their way to the otherworld.

Women also bobbed for apples, the first one to bite into the fruit will soon be married or she can dream of her future spouse by putting the apple under the pillow.

Allhallowtide

As mentioned earlier, some of the Samhain practices were absorbed by the Christian Church in Europe.

From that comes the Allhallowtide, a three-day religious observation followed by most Catholics.

All Hallow’s Eve or Halloween, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day are to "remember the dead, martyrs, saints and faithful departed Christians.” In modern times, worshippers attend church services and visit graves of their loved ones.

Historians noted that certain communities would toll church bells and hold vigils.

Interestingly, in England, there is a tradition called "souling” on All Souls’ Day where children and poor men go to the houses of the rich to beg for money, apples and cakes.

In the book Christian Origins and Halloween, this practice dates to the medieval period and lasted until the 1930s.

You can even look up recipes to prepare soul cakes. It has flavours of the autumn such as nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice.

El Día de los Muerto

Thanks to Hollywood — James Bond’s Spectre and Pixar’s Coco — Mexico’s Day of the Dead is associated with some recognisable imagery.

From smiling skulls, colourful makeup to massive parades, this is not a dreary festival.

It is supposed to be a demonstration of love and respect for the dead.

From smiling skulls, colourful makeup to massive parades, Mexico's Day of the Dead is not a dreary festival. — YouTube image

The cultural event was recognised in 2008 by Unesco, making it to the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Celebrated on Nov 1 and 2, it is a mash up of ancient Aztec, Toltec and Nahua rituals with Christian feasts.

To welcome the dead, marigold petals are scattered around the ofrenda (altar) that has photos, candles, food (bread and sugar skulls), fermented drinks, hot chocolate and other offerings.

The most ubiquitous symbol of the festival — calavera (skull) — was made popular by Mexican artist Diego Rivera.

According to National Geographic, his 1947 mural Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park featured a skeletal bust with a large feminine hat. Rivera named her Catrina, a slang to mean "the rich”.

Bon festival

The Bon Odori celebration is fairly popular in Malaysia where locals and Japanese expats get together dressed in traditional garb.

However, Bon Odori points to a traditional dance that is performed during the Bon festival.

The dance is performed as an appreciation to the ancestors for their sacrifice in life.

Typically celebrated over three days in mid-August, the Bon festival is a Buddhist/Confucian manifestation of family reunions.

People travel to their ancestral homes to clean the graves of deceased family members, similar to the Chinese Qing Ming festival.

Fire is a central theme during the festival. It signifies the beginning (mukaebi) and also used as a guide for families to send the ancestral spirits back to the otherworld. This rite is known as okuribi.

These days, it is common to have carnivals, rides, games and food festivals during Bon.

Chuseok

Celebrated in mid-September, Chuseok is a Korean harvest festival that is also known as thanksgiving.

It is a nod to the culture’s agrarian past, where families gathered around to give thanks to their ancestors for a bountiful harvest, according to Asia Society.

The women are to prepare an ancestral memorial ceremony called charye by filling a table with food.

There is also a rice cake called songpyeon prepared for the festival.

It is made of rice dough filled with sesame seeds, chestnuts, red beans, or other sweet fillings.

On the eve of Chuseok, families would make these rice cakes together.

On the other hand, presenting gifts are a big part of the festival, not just among family members but also given to friends and business partners.

Traditional gifts are beef and fresh fruits. Spam is especially popular.

Pitru Paksha

Known as a "fortnight of ancestors”, this traditional festival usually takes place towards the end of September.

During this period, the ancestral spirits leave the pitru-loka (the realm between heaven and earth) to visit the homes of their descendants.

The main part of the festival are the shraddha rituals.

The success of this rite is believed to ease the spirits’ passage to heaven, therefore blessing the family with health, wealth and prosperity.

Each day has its own rites that should be observed.

The shraddha is conducted at noon, on the riverbank or lake, by the eldest son or male relative.

It involves taking a purifying bath, releasing water from the hand, and praying to Vishnu and Yama.

According to the book Kutch in Festival and Custom, food offerings are placed on banana leaves or cups made of dried leaves.

Among the treats included are kheer (sweet rice and milk), lapsi (sweet wheat porridge), rice, dal, spring beans and pumpkin.

Brahmin priests, cows and dogs are also given food.

Famadihana

Held every five to seven years, the tribal people in Madagascar conducts famadihana or the turning of bones.

It is believed that ancestors are intermediaries between God and the living, with powers to influence events of the living, reported CNN.

Despite practising a form of Christianity and traditional rituals, the Malagasy people do not believe in the afterlife.

Instead, they believe that the dead do not move on to the next life until their bodies are fully decomposed.

In this ritual, remains are exhumed and family members carefully remove burial garments.

The bodies are then wrapped in new shrouds usually made of silk.

The family then hold a feast and dance with the corpses.

When the festivities are over, the bodies are then placed head first in the graves with gifts and alcohol, and turned upside down — representing the circle of life.

These are all done before the sun sets.