In the United States Halloween is celebrated on October 31st.It is one of the favorite family celebrations. At this time adults and children dress in costumes, curve pumpkins and trick-or-treat around their neighbors. The neighbors have to expect and respond the kids by giving small treats.
In 1840 Halloween was celebrated for first time in United States. Irish Catholics brought with them Halloween costumes and the Irish kids showed the Americans the tradition of carving jack-o’-lanterns. But the kids used turnips, potatoes and rutabagas. The new Americans decided that with pumpkins they can make even better jack-o’-lanterns. Very popular are the school dances and the neighborhood parties known as “block parties”.
In China people celebrate Halloween in different way. They have and other festivals for the souls of the people who have passed away. Halloween festival is called Teng chieh. In honor of the family members who have died before them, their relatives put water and food in front of their photos. They lighter the way of the souls to come back with lanterns and bonefires.
In China there is also a festival called The Feast of the Hungry Ghosts. It is believed that the souls of the people who have died in unusual causes or these who have not have proper burial from their family members come back because they feel they have been abandoned and look to take it out on the living. Other is The Festival of the Angry Ghosts .The Chinese people offer them food, gifts and joss sticks to make them feel welcome and to subdue their antogonistic feelings. For gifts they choose items that the dead people have had before they passed away so they can feel comfortably. They hope that the ghosts will ease their desire for revenge.With these festivals people try to welcome the spirits of their dead relatives to come back to the earth among them.