How Asian people celebrate Haloween? Celebrating Halloween in Asia?

Instead of carved pumpkins, traditional costumes and waiting for tricks and
treaters on Halloween night, Asian countries celebrate it in a different way. Below
is a list of the unique Halloween festivals, activities, and superstitions during the
holidays in Asia.
China
In China, the Halloween festival is known as Teng Chieh

Hungry Ghost Festival, China

Chinese celebrates the Halloween festival, or Teng Chieh, by offering water, food,
spirit money to the dead and lighting the lanterns to guide the paths of the
spirits. They believe that the spirits reincarnated in scary creatures, which are
considered as bad luck. Therefore during this festival, Chinese people visit
Buddhist temples, also make paper boats to carry their loved ones and spirits
peacefully to heaven.
Obon Festival, Japan
The Hungry Ghost festival is most similar to the Obon from Japan. During this
time, the ancestors graves are visited and cleaned. The purpose of this custom is
to reconnect the deceased ancestors and the family. The Japanese also hang bright
red laterns in their house or set them afloat on rivers. Unlike in other countries, the "Obon
Festival" takes place during July or August

Chuseok, South Korea

In Korea, the festival similar to Halloween is known as "Chusok." It is at this time that families
thank their ancestors for the fruits of their labor. The family pays respect to these ancestors
by visiting their tombs and making offerings of rice and fruits. The "Chusok" festival takes place
in the month of August.

Koreans commemorate the Halloween or Chusok during the month of August.

Families visit the tombs and mausoleums and offer food, drink and flowers to
show respect to their dead ancestors.
Halloween is not big in Korea, but offerings of food and flowers are still made to
their ancestors to show respect.

Modern and Traditional Halloween in South Korea

For an interesting mix of modern parties and traditional Halloween festivals, South Korea has
the biggest parties. In the district of Itaewon in Seoul, streets are closed for the duration of the
celebration where there are booths for a one big party of live music, costume contests, and
lots of drinking. A lot of bars, clubs, and restaurants also participate in the festivities by
staying open until late hours and holding their own costume contests. On the other side, more

traditional Koreans celebrate the "Chusok" where families gather together and pray for the
spirits of the dead relatives. An altar is set for the spirits where rice, fruits and prayers are
offered every end of August and beginning of September

The Japanese also utilize lanterns for their Halloween customs. The lanterns are
traditionally colored red and are hung in every house. These red lanterns are also
placed on boats and float through rivers to guide the spirits of the dead back to the
homes of their families for the night. It is also traditional for Japanese families to
clean the gravestones of their ancestors and prepare special dishes to honor and
remember them. These customs and traditions are all referred to in Japan as the
Obon Festival.
The Japanese celebrate the "Obon Festival" (also known as "Matsuri" or "Urabon") which is
similar to Halloween festivities in that it is dedicated to the spirits of ancestors. Special foods
are prepared and bright red lanterns are hung everywhere. Candles are lit and placed into
lanterns which are then set afloat on rivers and seas. During the "Obon Festival," a fire is lit
every night in order to show the ancestors where their families might be found. "Obon" is one of
the wo main occasions during the Japanese year when the dead are believed to return to their
birthplaces. Memorial stones are cleaned and community dances performed. The "Obon Festival"
takes place during July or August.

Japanese celebrate their own version of Halloween which they call Obon Festival.
During this time of the year, special dishes are prepared, bright red lanterns are
hung in every house and lanterns are placed afloat on rivers and boats. Lights are
lit to show the spirits where their families might be found. Japanese families clean
memorial stones for they believe that their deceased ancestors will go back to
their birthplaces. Unlike in other countries, the Obon Festival/Halloween is
celebrated during July/August.
Japanese have their own way of cewlebrating the Halloween. People
Moreover,

Cambodcha
Philippines
Obon is one of the bigger holidays in Japan; it is customary that people are given
leave for three days to return to their ancestral family places. During this holiday,
families reconnect and visit and clean their ancestors graves, since it is widely
believed that ancestral spirits return to the family altar around this time. It
usually takes place in July, and begins with a Bon dance, or Bon Odori. The
purpose of the Bon Odori is to welcome the spirits of the dead into the real world.
During the three day holiday, people engage in summer festivities, kind of like
state fairs in the United States. Obon culminates with the floating of lanterns, or
Toro Nagashi. The floating of lanterns down rivers symbolizes the return of spirits
to the afterlife.

Carved pumpkins and corn stalks are common sight during this holiday especially in the
western countries. They are also visible in Asian countries that go all out with Halloween
celebrations like Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. However, in other parts of Asia like
Thailand and Vietnam, watermelons or whatever random vegetable will do. Trick or treating
originated in Ireland and the country continues to celebrate Halloween by asking sweet treats
especially the children. Children in Asia go trick or treating, too, in exchange of candies and
other sweet treats. Like in the United States and Canada, children wearing their scary
costumes also roam door to door for treats. However, buying an attire or costume for the
holiday is not necessarily needed. In Asia, Halloween decorations and lights are not equally
popular like in western countries. Adults in Asia, on the other hand, also celebrate Halloween
costume parties at clubs. These images from around the globe has been captured by a number
of film enthusiasts who take out their cameras and take footage of the celebration.
What is different in Asian culture of celebrating Halloween is that Asians consider the
occasion as a special time to remember their loved ones who have passed away. The people in
China, Japan and the Philippines offer various kinds of food to the dead in order to guide and
show the spirits where their loved ones are, Chinese and Japanese light their lanterns while
Filipinos light candles. These dramatic scenes encourage many photographers and film
enthusiasts to take their cameras along and join in the celebration. In China, pilgrims are also
visiting Buddhist temples. The Chinese also make paper boats to carry their deceased loved
ones to peace. The Japanese families clean the memorial stones of their deceased loved ones.
This is similar to the families in the Philippines and Korea where many return to their home
provinces so that they can visit and tend the graves of their loved ones. In the Philippines,
horror-themed films and television programs are also shown.
Recently, the Halloween Parade in Kawasaki, a suburb of Tokyo, has become one of the
attractions in Japan and is known as the countrys biggest Halloween parade. There are also
many special Halloween events happening in many places such as Tokyo Disneyland and
Universal Studios Japan. In Tokyo, home of Cosplay, Japanese wear elaborate Halloween
costumes and paint their faces with blood. Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park host
Halloween presentations every year. There are numerous spectacular shows in Hong Kong
that people from abroad look forward to. In Singapore, Halloween-themed events take center
stage at Universal Studios and the Singapore Flyer. These festivities are indeed picture perfect
for avid film makers who take various footage for posteritys sake.
To sum it up, Halloween in Asia is not limited to trick or treating and wearing spooky
costumes. The celebration, which shows the Asians connection to the supernatural, is
meaningful to the people as it not only serves as a venue for family reunions but also allows
them to take a look at their spiritual journeys. Clearly, the highlight during this holiday is their
deceased loved ones and one of the most common activities during the Halloween celebration
in Asia is people offering food and prayers to their departed loved ones.