Festivals for honoring the deceased from across the world

白甜甜

Qing Ming

Qingming is popularly associated with Jie Zidui in theSpring and Autumn Period， who saved his starving lord' slife by serving meat cut from his own leg. The lord， knownas Jinwengong， was later able to take power and decided toreward Jie but he declined. Jinwengong tried to force Jieout of a forest by fire but instead burned him to death andfelt deep regret. He ordered all his people to ban the use offire and eat cold food that day to mark Jie ' s death. It is theorigin of the Cold Food Festival， which starts one or twodays before Qing Ming and later merges with Qingming.Qingming Festival then became an important holiday froman originally simple farming day.

Orchid Basin Festival

Falling on July 15th according to the lunar calendar，Orchid Basin Festival is one of the big events in Japan allpeople observe. Japan usually gives people 3 days off to goback to their hometowns to pay respect to their ancestors. Itis said that the ancestors' spirits will return home， and soeach household put fire basins outside at the gate and hanglanterns for the spirits to find their way back.

Diwali-Festival of Lights

Diwali or Deepavali， the festival of "rows of lights"， isone of the most important of all Hindu festivals. Peopleplace candles on the stairs， hallway and balcony at homewhen night falls that day to pay respect to the deceased andpray for the family. Lighting lamps and candles during thefestival is also considered auspicious by bringing light，knowledge and etemal life from darkness， ignorance anddeath.

All Soul' s Day

All Soul' s Day， also called the "Day of the Dead" usu-ally occurs on November 2， when families fondly remem-ber the deceased by praying before an altar. It ' s also a timemarked by festivities， including parades of skeletons. In one

清明節

春秋时期，介子堆曾割下自己腿上的肉让逃亡的主公充饥。这位主公，也就是晋文公，执政后要封赏他，但介子堆隐居山林拒绝封赏。无奈，晋文公放火烧山想逼他出山，不料却烧死了恩人。自此，晋文公下令每年的这一天禁止生火，只吃冷食，这就是寒食节的来历。因寒食节恰好在清明前一两天，久而久之，寒食的习俗逐渐被移到清明，清明便从单纯的农业节气变为重要节日“清明节”了。

盂兰盆节

盂兰盆节是日本最盛大的节日之一，每年农历7月15日举行。日本全国放假3天，让城里人返乡祭祖。据说在这段时间，逝去的祖灵都会回到家中，为了帮助祖灵找到家，人们会在家门口摆放欢迎的火盆，并在屋内挂上灯笼。

灯节

灯节为印度每年最大的节日。节日当天，夜幕降临后，人们会在楼梯、走廊、阳台及屋里都放上点燃的蜡烛，为死者祈祷，并期盼亡灵保佑家人平安。点灯还被视为带来光明、知识、永恒，驱走黑暗、无知和死亡。

万灵节

万灵节是墨西哥的传统节日之一，又称扫墓节，定在每年II月2日。人们在家里摆祭坛，供上祭品，悼念死去的亲人。气氛浓厚的节日传统还包括化妆骷髅的盛大游行，以及把活人放进棺材里的notable tradition， revelers lead a mock funeral processionwith a live person inside a coffin.

Day of the dead

Poland and most of the Catholic world have celebratedthe festival on Nov I for many centuries. Also known as AllSaints Day， it ' s a national holiday when people all over Po-land visit the graves of loved ones and to place candles andflowers at tombstones. The candles， which can burn forhours， are placed to help the departed souls find the wayhome.

Memorial Day in US

Memorial Day is a US national holiday observed onthe last Monday of May. It commemorates those who diedwhile in military service to their country. Soldiers m serviceand veterans go to cemeteries to pay respect to their deadpeers by firing guns and blowing trumpets. First enacted tohonor American soldiers and casualties in the civil war， thetwo World Wars and other military actions， it later evolvedas a popular civil festival for each family to commemoratethe passing of their loved ones.“假面葬礼”。

亡人节

每年11月1日，波兰及绝大多数信奉天主教的国家都要举行亡人节，也称万灵节，以悼念逝人。这天是法定假日，人们都去扫墓，摆上鲜花并点上可燃烧几小时的蜡烛，给亡灵指引回家的路。

美国阵亡烈士日

美国的阵亡烈士日通常在每年5月的最后一个周一，是法定假日。每逢这个日子，美国现役军人和老战士便前往墓地，鸣枪并吹响军中熄灯号，让死难将士安息。此节日最初用来纪念在南北战争和两次世界大战中以及在其它战争行动中战死的兵士，后来逐渐发展为一般家庭祭奠逝去的亲人。