In the United States, Halloween is celebrated on Oct. 31 by wearing costumes, going trick-or-treating and spending time with family and friends. While this holiday, derived from ancient festivals and religious rituals, is still widely celebrated in a number of countries all around the globe, other nations are marking the fall season with celebrations of their own. 

Día de los Muertos is a three-day celebration celebrated primarily in Mexico. The holiday begins on the night of Oct. 31. and continues through Nov. 2. The annual celebration is designed to honor the dead who, it is believed, return to their families each year to visit. 

In their homes, many families create an altar for  deceased loved ones that is decorated with candles, photographs and their favorite foods and drinks. Marigolds often surround the floor of the altar, acting as a “path” the loved ones can use to return home.

Often, families visit and clean the gravesites of their departed family members, celebrating the lives of those who they have lost.

In Chinese and other East Asian cultures, families celebrate the mid-autumn festival on day 15 of the eighth month  in  the Chinese lunisolar calendar. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually falls in September or October each year.

This holiday began over 1,000 years ago as a celebration for successful agricultural harvests. The festival itself is famously tied to the legend of Chang’e, the Chinese moon goddess who, accompanied by the jade rabbit, floated to the moon after drinking an elixir of immortality..

Today, families gather to share meals, connect with loved ones and spend quality time with the ones they hold closest. Some other traditions of the mid-autumn festival include lighting lanterns, eating traditional mooncakes and moon gazing with family and friends.

In India, many people celebrate Diwali, a festival of lights celebrating the spiritual triumph of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. The holiday spans five days from Nov. 6 to Nov. 10, with the main celebration on Nov. 8.

On day one of the celebration, families clean their homes and shop for gold to bring them good fortune. On day two, people decorate their homes with clay lamps and use colored powders or sand to create design patterns called rangoli on the floor.

On day three, the most important day during the festival, families gather together for Lakshmi puja, a prayer to Goddess Lakshmi, followed by feasts and firework celebrations. Day four marks when friends and relatives visit to give their best wishes, and prepare an offering of 56 food varieties for deities. On the final day of the celebration, families celebrate the bonds between brothers and sisters, offering prayers for health and wellbeing. 

From costumes and candy in the U.S. to altars, lanterns and feasts abroad, the fall season looks different from one country to the next. Many of these celebrations share common threads including honoring loved ones, giving thanks and bringing families together.