It’s Halloween. My favorite time of the year. The weather is finally cooling down, which in Phoenix means it’s only in the 90s instead of the 100s. My son is super psyched about his Optimus Prime Transformers costume and I’m trying to decide if I should dress as a pirate zombie, perfectly combining my two writing projects.

But let’s talk about the dead. Of course, and especially if you live in the Southwest, Day of the Dead is a familiar tradition, a Mexican Holiday going back hundreds of years to an Aztec Festival dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl. Here are more:

In China on April 4 is Tomb Sweeping Day or the Qingming Festival. Families honor their ancestors by visiting their tombs and leaving offerings of food. People also burn paper replicas of items that can be used in the afterlife, such as clothing, money, and cars. And now, it was inevitable, people are burning paper replicas of iPads. A must have in the afterlife.

Near and dear to my necromancer’s heart in my second book is the tradition in Haiti: voodoo traditions are mixed with Roman Catholic ones to honor the dead. People play loud drums and music in all-night celebrations at cemeteries to waken Baron Samedi, the Loa of the dead, and his mischievous offspring, the Gede.

So have a safe and fun Halloween and remember beloved friends and family who have passed. And from the blog ancentralmedecine. org, some ways to honor your ancestors, the best being fulfill your soul’s purpose as an ethical and loving person.