Despite all the candy and costumes today, Halloween started as a way to remember the dead.However, not many other countries celebrate it. That said,many other countries dohave holidays that pay homage to the deceased.From a festival in Cambodia devoted to feeding dead relatives to Mexico's famous Da de los Muertos, keep scrolling to learn about 5 celebrations around the world that celebrate the dearly departed.Da de los Muertosthe famously colorful festival of the dead has spread beyond MexicoDating back to the time of the Aztecs, the Mexican holidayDa de los Muertosor "Day of the Dead"marks a celebration of dead loved ones.People play music at cemeteries, dress in ornate, colorful costumes, and make flower-adorned altars from October 31 to November 2 to honor the souls of dead family members, whose spirits they believe return to Earth during this time.Da de los Muertos is now celebrated in various pockets of the world, including the US and even Russia.See more stunning pictures of the tradition here.Lanterns and flowers line the streets of Japan for Obon, the Festival of the DeadObon, the Festival of the Dead in Japan, lasts for about five days around August 15, and begins with people lighting small fires outside their homes to guide spirits. Similar to Mexico's day of the dead, Obon's purpose is tohonor deceased ancestors.Festivities include eating special meals, cleaning up the gravestones of late family members, andon the final daylighting up the night sky with bonfires and lanterns to send off the spirits.Obon's Gozan Okuribi (or Daimonji) bonfire festival in Kyoto attracts thousands of visitors annually who come to watch traditional dances or light paper lanterns of their own.Voodoo festival Fet Gede is Haiti's way of celebrating the deadTypically held in November, Haitians who practice voodoo(a spiritual belief system common in Haiti and other cultures)attempt to raise the dead on Fet Gede.Throughout the month preceding the celebration, Haitians lay out gifts in front of their homeslike homemade beeswax candles and flowersto make spirits feel welcome.When the night of Fet Gede comes, Haitians make a pilgrimage to the cemetery followed by boisterous celebrationsvoodoo churches, called peristyles, are filled with people dancing, singing, and feasting.People in China burn fake money and incense to appease spirits during The Hungry Ghost FestivalThe Hungry Ghost Festivalaka Yulanis celebrated in many Buddhist and Taoist Asian countries on "the 15th night of the seventh lunar month." Especially prevalent in China, the festival commemorates dead ancestors and unofficially goes on for the entire month, during which ghosts are believed to come up from their realm and wander Earth.The Chinese appease the ghosts' appetites by burning incense, money, setting up memorial tables, and cooking three meals a daysome of which they leave out for the ghosts to "eat."On the festival's last day, people celebrate by floating colorful lanterns along rivers, which are meant to guide the spirits away.Cambodians offer food to their dead relatives during the somber Pchum Ben festivalEvery October in Cambodia, people celebratePchum Ben, an ancient festival in which the living "give back" to the dead.In Khmer, the word "pchum" means to congregate, and "ben" means to collect and"cup or mold cooked rice into portions."For 15 days in October, Cambodians come together and visit Buddhist temples with food offerings meant to aid spirits' suffering in the afterlife.VisitINSIDER's homepagefor more.Join the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales: There's going to be an 'enormous backlash' against Donald Trump's lies
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