All Saint's Day

October is the month in which many Americans celebrate All Saints' Day or Samhain (Nov 1), better known as Halloween (October 31). The Haitians method of honoring deceased loved ones involves setting up an altar with photographs or other images of ancestors they wish to honor, and any special offerings of food or drink enjoyed by those ancestors during their lives. Prayers, drumming, dancing, and the preparation of feasts are part of their ritual of reverence for their deceased loved ones. People dress up, take to the streets, dance their communion with the ancestors, and walk in processions to the graveyards where they feed their ancestral dead with the gifts of their own table. The purpose of the ritual is to thank the ancestors and spirits for their protection and to request their helpful guidance for the future. This is a general celebration of all deceased.

If you have information about other religions or people of different cultures view death, dying, and afterlife, I’d love to have you post as a guest blogger. Leave a comment and I’ll get in touch with you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com