Proudly serving monsters since 1998.
The ancient Assyrians had ceremonies for the souls of the dead in October and November.
In Egypt, Osiris’ box or coffin, which floated on water for a year, was a distorted Egyptian memory of the Flood. This box was placed on water sometime between October and November each year.
The ancient Peruvian Incas began their year in November with a celebration called Ayamarka, which concluded with the placing of food and beverages on the graves of the departed.
Shadows of the fixation on death that is the core of Halloween can also be seen in the early Anglo-Saxon period known as the “November Blood Month.”
In India, the Hindu Durga celebration for those who have died was first tied to their New Year (which began in November).
Aboriginal Australians, each fall, put white colored stripes on both their legs and arms to symbolize a skeleton.
Diwali or Divali is a festival of lights and is one of the major festivals celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs. The festival usually lasts five days, or six in some regions of India, and is celebrated during the Hindu solar month Kartika (between mid-October and mid-November), the height of which is celebrated on the … Read more
Traditionally including a dance festival called Bon Odori, Obon (お盆) or just Bon (盆) is an annual three-day Buddhist festival held in honor of one’s ancestors celebrated in Japan for over 500 years. More recently, the holiday has become a time for family reunions, as people return to their hometowns and revisit the graves of … Read more
The Hungry Ghost Festival ( also known as The Yulan Assembly or Zhongyuan Jie) is a traditional Chinese festival and holiday, which is celebrated by Chinese in many countries. The fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar is called Ghost Day and the seventh month in general is regarded as the Ghost … Read more
Los Dias de los Muertos, the Days of the Dead, is a traditional Mexico holiday honoring the dead. It is celebrated every year at the same time as Halloween and the Christian holy days of All Saints Day and All Souls Day (November 1st and 2nd). Los Dias de los Muertos is not a sad … Read more
Karachun, Korochun or Kračún is a Slavic holiday similar to Halloween as a day when the Black God and other evil spirits are most potent. It was celebrated by pagan Slavs on the longest night of the year, i.e., the night of the winter solstice (December 21). On this night, Hors, symbolising old sun, becomes … Read more
Walpurgis Night is a holiday celebrated on April 30 or May 1, in Germany, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, and the Czech Republic . The festival is named after Saint Walburga (known in Scandinavia as “Valborg”; alternative forms are “Walpurgis”, “Wealdburg”, or “Valderburger”), born in Wessex in 710. She was a niece of Saint … Read more
Because Halloween was not celebrated in England before the twentieth century, it did not travel to Australia and New Zealand with British colonization, but it has some recognition due to American cultural media influences. Compared to the United States, Halloween is reasonably uncelebrated in Australia and New Zealand. Some businesses and organizations coordinate Halloween-themed gatherings … Read more
In the United States, the first recorded instance of a Halloween celebration occurred in Anoka, Minn., in 1921 Halloween did not become a holiday in America until the 19th century, where lingering Puritan tradition meant even Christmas was scarcely observed before the 1800s. North American almanacs of the late 18th and early 19th centuries make … Read more