A World Tour
Festivals Celebrating the Dead
Around the world, families find warm and colourful ways to remember their loved ones, with kites, rice cakes, candles and flowers. Let's discover a few of these gentle traditions.
Did you know?
During Chuseok, a harvest festival in Korea, families gather to honour their ancestors. They make songpyeon, small half-moon-shaped rice cakes often filled with sesame seeds or beans.
In Guatemala, people build and fly giant, colourful kites on 1 November. The town of Santiago Sacatepéquez is famous for its kite festival. Some kites carry notes for loved ones who have died.
In the Philippines, many families spend 1 and 2 November, called Undas, at cemeteries. They clean graves, light candles, share food and remember loved ones together.
Try this: Family Memory Tree
Ask an elder about a grandparent or great-grandparent you never met. What was their favourite food, song or game? Where did they grow up? Draw a family tree and write one happy memory or fun fact next to each name. You are helping to keep your family's stories alive!
Go further: Remembering in India
In India too, many communities set aside time to remember family members who have died. During Pitru Paksha, many Hindu families offer food and prayers for their ancestors. On Shab-e-Barat, many Muslims pray for relatives who have passed away. On All Souls' Day, 2 November, many Christians visit cemeteries, light candles and lay flowers. Each tradition is a way of saying: we still remember you.