| Halloween is coming up soon on 31st of October this year! People in China call it 万圣节(wànshèngjié), where people use 南瓜(nánguā) pumpkins to carve all kinds of funny faces and shapes to ward off evil spirits. Foreign teachers have introduced the British and American Halloween of October 31, but except for kids who have foreign teachers or the expat-oriented bars and restaurants and schools in China, Halloween activities aren't popular in China. The Chinese have traditional days of the dead that are much more popular such as the Hungry Ghost Festival, the Qing Ming Festival, the Double 9th Festival, and the Spring Festival.  Western Halloween in China Halloween entered China mainly through two influences: foreign teachers and Western expats. Foreign teachers in China might have a Halloween party for their students and a lesson about Halloween in their country. So, some Chinese children hear about Halloween and might make decorations and get Halloween candy. In general, though, few Chinese do much about Halloween unless they have foreign friends. Halloween in China is a party day in expat-oriented bars and restaurants where a lot of expats live such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. The bars and restaurants frequented by foreigners will often decorate for the occasion with pictures of black cats, ghosts, and monsters, and Halloween lanterns, and there might be masquerade parties. A Comparison Between the Western Halloween and China's Days of the Dead Halloween originated from the traditional holiday of Celts in Great Britain who believed that the last day of October was “the day of the dead” or “the ghost day” when ghosts crossed over the boundary between the living and the dead. It evolved into a day of fun and parties for most people. However, in English speaking countries such as America and Britain, many take the day seriously as a special day for religious prayers or witchcraft. The Chinese days of the dead are a part of the religion of the common people. A greater percentage of Chinese than Westerners really believe that on these days there is more of a bridge between the dead and the living, and so they must take precautions or honor the dead. These ghost days are a part of the folk religion of Chinese people called Daoism. These traditional festivals are hundreds of years old. In general, they are dates for people to protect themselves from attacks or pranks by the ghosts and also dates to seriously honor and worship their ancestors or famous people of the past. It is believed that the ghosts of dead people can help them or protect them. |
| FOLLOW US： |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |