Days of the Dead Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mexico

Perhaps the most famous of the festivals around the world made to honour the dead, Día de los Muertos traces its origins back to the Aztec people who used the ceremonies to worship a God of the underworld. In modern times, the festival is garish, loud, and celebratory, with much of its aesthetic being known the world over.

The ceremony is usually held during the first two days of November to worship friends and family who have passed. The event has since been placed on the UNESCO list for Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Answer: All Souls' Day

Celebrated mostly during the same time span as Día de los Muertos, All Souls Day is meant to follow All Saints Day on November the 1st in Christian nations. In most religions, this day is held aside for prayer or cemetery visits, though many modern observers are unlikely to make the funereal pilgrimage. Records show that although the day has been around for longer, it was popularized in the eleventh century in the French Middle Ages.

As with many similar holidays commemorating the dead, this one comes after Halloween and typically, harvest season.

Answer: China

A memorial day to respect Chinese ancestry, Tomb-Sweeping Day couldn't be a better distillation of the activities expected on this day every year, usually at the start of April (varying based on the Spring Equinox). In addition to visiting the graves of their ancestors, observers also bring respectful offerings.

This holiday has been observed for two and a half millennia and, for most of that, it's also been preceded by the Cold Food Festival, a three day observance that also has ties to the dead.

Answer: Ghost Month

Ghost Month is celebrated by both Buddhist and Taoists observers in China and though the entire seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar is set aside as a time when the realms of Heaven and Hell both open to let the dead return to the mortal plane.

The 15th, in particular, is a date of great importance because it's the day of the Ghost Festival, during which citizens perform small rituals and celebrate their deceased friends, relatives, and countrymen. This day on the calendar is also always a full moon.

The Ghost Festival is so old that no official date of origination is known; it was likely started before written records. Bring food; these ghosts are hungry!

Answer: Osaka

Similar to the Ghost Festival and also celebrated by Buddhists, the Bon (or Obon) Festival is a Japanese variant of its Chinese counterpart, also typically celebrated on the seventh lunar month (though this varies depending on region). The Bon Festival is often a joyous celebration despite the risk of hungry ghosts and in some cities, large festivals (complete with rides) are held to allow all to join in.

This time of year is also the perfect occasion to watch the Bon Odori, a regional dance designed to appeal to the spirits.

Answer: Longer than these

Pitru Paksha lasts sixteen days on the Hindu lunar calendar and usually falls during September. Celebrated in India and Nepal, this is yet another ceremony devoted to ancestor worship and offerings, especially food, to be given to those between realms. According to legend, the three most recently deceased generations of ancestors rest in this realm between Earth and God, so they are the ones who receive the blessings. Pitru Paksha always follows Ganesha Day.

Answer: Russia

Radonitsa is a custom held by the Russian Orthodox Church and although much of it surrounds dining with those who have died and commemorating their departure, modern observers take a much more casual approach to the day. Tied to the holy week in April, Radonitsa is derived from Christian customs meant to reflect on Jesus' resurrection and it's because of this that Easter eggs also tend to factor into the traditions held for this occasion.

The name 'Radonitsa' translates to 'day of rejoicing'.

Answer: Harvest

The name 'Chuseok' translates to 'autumn eve', which makes sense since the event is, essentially, a harvest festival held in either September or October based on the lunar calendar. While many stay at home to observe this event on their own, it's not uncommon for citizens to travel to the graves of their ancestors to gather and pay tribute.

As with similar festivals, this one does involve traditional foods, gift-giving, and folksy rites. Because of their intrinsically-tied histories and religious beliefs, many Koreans also celebrate Tomb-Sweeping Day and the Cold Food Festival as Hansik in April.

Answer: Roman

In a precursor to All Saints' Day, Lemuria was an event held annually by the Ancient Romans as they attempted to rid themselves of the bad spirits that had spent the year hiding away in their homes. To do this, Romans would take black beans, spit them from their mouths, and cast the spirits (who would follow the beans) away from their houses.

This would be done in the month of May. Similarly, the February festival of Feralia was part of another event used to honour the dead in Ancient Rome, Parentalia.

Answer: The Turning of the Bones

For centuries, the Malagasy people of Madagascar have engaged in a ritual which, although it doesn't have a set date, is observed consistently to respect those who had recently died. During 'The Turning of the Bones', relatives are brought back from the tombs, rewrapped in new burial shrouds, and reburied as a show of respect and memorial. Families gather once every five to seven years to perform this rite, unsealing and resealing tombs to redress the body, until it's fully decomposed and, thus, moved on to its rightful place on the other side.