Halloween and Remembrances of the Dead

Death is a natural and inevitable part of the human experience. And most civilizations, from ancient to modern, have devoted a special holiday to honoring the dead. Although many of these holidays have assumed a secular attitude, the original, supernatural tone of these days still colors the celebrations. Halloween, or All Hallow's Eve as it was once known, has become a day for children to don costumes, trick-or-treat for candy, and play pranks. Outside the United States, however,...
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Death is a natural and inevitable part of the human experience. And most civilizations, from ancient to modern, have devoted a special holiday to honoring the dead. Although many of these holidays have assumed a secular attitude, the original, supernatural tone of these days still colors the celebrations. Halloween, or All Hallow's Eve as it was once known, has become a day for children to don costumes, trick-or-treat for candy, and play pranks. Outside the United States, however, people in many countries still set aside a day to honor and pray for the deceased. This book looks at the different holidays honoring the dead from around the world, including Halloween, All Souls' Day, Day of the Dead, Tomb Sweeping Day, and the Ghost Festival. Each title in this series contains color photos and illustrations throughout, and back matter including: an index and further resource lists for books and online resources. Key Icons appear throughout the books in this series in an effort to encourage library readers to build knowledge, gain awareness, explore possibilities and expand their viewpoints through our content rich non-fiction books. Key Icons in this series are as follows: Words to Understand are shown at the front of each chapter with definitions. These words are set in boldfaced type in that chapter, so that readers are able to reference back to the definitions-building their vocabulary and enhancing their reading comprehension. Sidebars are highlighted graphics with content rich material within that allows readers to build knowledge and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Video features throughout have QR codes linked to online videos that provide supplemental interviews, documentaries, and historical clips. Text-Dependent Questions are placed at the end of each chapter. They challenge the reader's comprehension of the chapter they have just read, while sending the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there. Research Projects are provided at the end of each chapter as well and provide readers with suggestions for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. And a Series Glossary of Key Terms is included in the back matter containing terminology used throughout the series. Words found here broaden the reader's knowledge and understanding of terms used in this field.