CREDIT: ALLA HELGONS DAG (TOP LEFT); TENG CHIEH (TOP MIDDLE); LA FêTE D'HALLOWEEN (TOP RIGHT); OBON FESTIVAL (BOTTOM LEFT); DAY OF THE DEAD (BOTTOM MIDDLE); GUY FAWKES NIGHT (BOTTOM RIGHT)

Here in Canada, we honour Halloween with costumes, candy, parties and much more, but not everyone in the world celebrates like we do.

NAME: Alla helgons dag (All Saint's Day)/Halloween

COUNTRY: Sweden

DATE CELEBRATED: November 3

WHAT IT IS: All Saint's Day was a reinstated holiday in the Swedish calendar in 1952. Halloween started in Sweden around 1999.

EVENTS: Families lay wreaths and flowers on their loved ones' graves. At night, the graveyard glows with candles and lanterns. Halloween is celebrated with costumes, gatherings and candy.

MORE INFO: "Traditional Festivities in Sweden" by Ingemar Liman, sweden.se, tinyurl.com/saintsdaysource

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NAME: The Feast of the Hungry Ghosts (Teng Chieh)

COUNTRY: China

DATE CELEBRATED: July 1 to 14

WHAT IT IS: The Chinese believe that the gate of the underworld is opened up during this two-week period. Spirits wander around in the human world, looking for a human substitute so that they may rejoin the human world. This festival is held to protect people from these spirits.

EVENTS: People give offerings of their own household items to the ghosts in hopes of scaring them off. Also, the chief monk holds a ceremony that purifies the air from the spirits.

MORE INFO: tinyurl.com/hungryghosts-source, chinatownconnection.com

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NAME: La Fête d'Halloween and All Saints' Day (Toussaint)

COUNTRY: France

DATE CELEBRATED: October 31 to November 2

WHAT IT IS: Halloween is not a traditional holiday in France, and many people question the commercial motives of the holiday. It is also because Halloween is seen as an American holiday, and there are some anti-Americans in France who refuse to celebrate it. The people of France do celebrate Toussaint from October 31 to November 2, in which the living honour the dead by visiting cemeteries, honouring saints and attending religious services.

EVENTS: France has parties on Halloween with traditional "spooky" costumes like mummies, witches, goblins and more. Trick-or-treating is becoming more common in France, but it may fade away after the novelty of the holiday wears off.

MORE INFO: gofrance.about.com, tinyurl.com/francesource

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NAME: Guy Fawkes Night

COUNTRY: Britain

DATE CELEBRATED: November 5

WHAT IT IS: This event marks the anniversary of the discovery of a plot organized by Catholic conspirators to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London in 1605.

EVENTS: People combine Guy Fawkes Night with Halloween and celebrate by setting off fireworks, lighting bonfires and dressing up in spooky outfits.

MORE INFO: timeanddate.com

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NAME: Day of the Dead

COUNTRY: Mexico

DATE CELEBRATED: The last days of October and the first days of November

WHAT IT IS: It is believed that through people's deaths there is a transition from one life to another in the legacy of Mexico's past civilization. This was established by pre-colonial Mexican civilizations, and it has become a ceremony where indigenous beliefs are blended with Catholic belief. The Day of the Dead is when the people of Mexico reflect on the meaning of life and the mission one needs to fulfill.

EVENTS: This is lively and friendly celebration of death. The cempasuchitl flower — the flower of the dead — is often harvested at this time. The flower is sold in the marketplace, or tianguis, where the family goes to buy everything that they will need to put on the altar. The Vigil of the Angels ritual takes place every November 1. Young girls are dressed in satin blouses, colored skirts, white stockings and shiny shoes, and are the center of the ceremony.

MORE INFO: dayofthedead.com

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NAME: Obon Festival (Pronounced "oh bone")

COUNTRY: Japan

DATE CELEBRATED: August 13 to 16

WHAT IT IS: The people of Japan are reunited with their ancestors' spirits and guide them to their homes at this special time. This also includes praying for the spirits.

EVENTS: On the first day, people light chochin lanterns inside their houses and go to their families' graves to call their ancestors' spirits back home. People send off their spirits with lanterns throughout these days. This is called mukae-bon. On the last day, families hang chochin painted with the family crest and send floating lanterns down a river to guide their ancestors back to their graves.

MORE INFO: tinyurl.com/obonsource