The demonic nocturnal festivities stir up from East to West

Besides Halloween, there are still many other evil festivals happening all over the world .

We know that gods and demons always exist in the beliefs and religions of many countries. That is why there are always customs or rituals of worshiping gods, but at the same time there are always festivals to ward off demons. Find out some of the famous devil festivals around the world below.

1. Festival Kukeri, Bulgaria

If the people of Western Europe and America enjoy the Halloween festival, Eastern Europeans, especially Bulgaria, are excited about their own demonic holidays: the Kukeri festival.

Kukeri is an ancient ritual, dating from the ancient Thracian period to worship Dionysus - the god of protection for the country, as well as the wine god, the god of reproduction and rebirth. It is conceived that this ritual will help ward off evil spirits and bring a year of peace to everyone.

The highlight of the Kukeri ceremony is the frightening animal costumes, scary wooden masks and small bells that can wrap around people, blades, swords . During this ceremony, the Bulgarian people disguise as scary demons - called Kukeri, pouring into the street dancing and disturbing others at night.

After acting as a fake ghost, all must participate in a mysterious ritual conducted by a Kukeri leader. This person prayed for health, luckily for the whole village and visited each family, giving them bread, wine and rubbing people on the floor as a way to share luck.

2. Dia de Muertos, Mexico

Día de Muertos - the day of the dead - is one of the rare festivals with a mixture of faith of the Aztecs and ancient Maya and Christianity brought to Central America by Spaniards.

In the past, this festival was organized by the Aztecs within 2 months to worship the Goddess of Death - Mictecacihuatl. But today, the festival only lasts for 2 days, coinciding with 'the day of the Saints' (November 1) and 'Soul Day' (November 2) of Christianity.

On this day, Mexicans have traditionally visited the graves of their deceased relatives and 'donated' dead souls with skulls made of sugar, marigold flowers, their favorite food and drinks when they were living.

Even Mexicans built special altars - called ofrendas. Ofrendas presented colorful and colorful items to give and remember the souls of the deceased relatives.

People here believe that doing so will attract souls to return to earth. At that time, they will hear the prayers of the living and blessing, silently help the family.

3. Obon Festival, Japan

Not to scare away evil spirits but Eastern countries, typically Japan, also have separate holidays for spirits: Obon festival. Usually held on August 15, the lunar calendar and festival takes place with the main purpose of expressing gratitude, remembrance of the deceased ancestors of Japanese people.

The Obon festival itself is derived from Buddhism and also relates to the story of the monk Section Kien Lien who reported to his mother like Vu Lan in Vietnam. In Sanskrit, Obon means 'upside down' - implying suffering.

Japanese people conceive on the day of the festival, the souls will return to humanity. This is an opportunity for souls to meet and watch their children and grandchildren.

On the 3 days of the festival, Japanese people always clean, put fresh flowers and decorate ancestral graves, houses. On the first day of the festival, people traditional Bon Odori dance to welcome the return of souls.

Later, this dance continued to be used as a farewell to the deceased on the last day of Obon. At the same time, the Japanese have a habit of making lanterns and floating the river, considering it to be a guiding light to bring souls back to the other world, called Toro Nagashi.

4. Bon Kan Ben Festival, Cambodia

Bon Kan Ben is a typical religious festival of Cambodians. It usually lasts 15 days in October according to the Khmer calendar. This is the occasion for Cambodians to express their gratitude to the deceased relatives' souls.

Traditionally, Cambodians believe that every year, the gates of hell are opened once. Then, the souls and ghosts of the ancestors of 7 generations will return to humanity.

Therefore, on that occasion, people hold this festival, prepare food and food to sacrifice for the temples, to monks pray for super spirits "wandering" in the street, to increase merit. Help early ancestors be transcended, reborn in another life.

The most important day of the festival is Pchum Ben. This is the day that the gates of hell will be opened. Therefore, in the temples, all monks will chant in Pali language continuously overnight without sleep, to bless the dead souls. Cambodian people believe, doing so, the karma of the deceased will be erased or reduced in the afterlife.

5. Gaijatra Festival, Nepal

In ancient times, Gaijatra was originally used to worship the God of Death Yamraj. However, during the reign of Pratap Malla (1624-1674), the form and content of the festival changed slightly. Pratap Malla King lost a son and this made the queen extremely sad.

The King has found every way to make his dear wife smile but all are helpless. Only until the king ordered some more amusing, sarcastic forms at Gaijatra, did the queen smile.

Today, Gaijatra is a combination of ancient tradition and forms of performance added by the Pratap. However, basically the Gaijatra ceremony is to remember those who died during the past year.

During the festival, people will organize a group of cattle marching - because the cow is the holiest animal in Hinduism. Each cow represents a deceased, any family without a cow can be replaced by a boy.

At the end of the parade, everyone attending the festival will wear masks and masks. They sang, joked, teased each other and laughed happily in accordance with the customs added by the King of Pratap.