Ghost festivities
The festivities of the Ghost Zone are countless and of various nature. Some of them are exclusively local, each area having its own culture (which sometimes is a mirror of a corresponding human ethno-geographical area, with which a continuous exchange of information occurs, thanks to magical nodes and possible artificial portals), but there are some events that tend to be celebrated more extensively.
Due to the nature of the ghosts, it can happen that the festivities of the Ghost Zone make no sense to those who live on the material plane, appearing violent or in general of questionable taste.
+ Most important dates +
November 1-2:
placed immediately after Halloween (which is the first day in which the "veil" that separates the spirits from the Material World becomes momentarily more permeable) the "feast of the dead" is one of the most important moments of the Ghost Zone culture. Halloween is a holiday for the nobles (the overlords or feudal lords, together with the major spirits), but the people mainly celebrate the night between the first and the second day of November: the reason why Halloween is not chosen as an official holiday is because the "first day belongs to the first", that is, the strongest spirits, those who usually have specific reasons to visit the material plane, have the right of passage. Some spirits bring small gifts to children, others join in the celebrations of humans, consuming food together with them (even if not all lemures are able to digest them, they are however able to taste them), others still indulge in wild dances. The celebrations take place simultaneously in the Ghost Zone and in the Material World, where festivals are organized in which the sky is "opened" like a screen, to observe the Moon and the stars as humans see them, an observation accompanied by music and banquets (often organized by a feudal lord).
Fifteenth day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar:
The Chinese celebrate the so-called “Hungry Ghosts Festival” (which in Chinese is known by different names: zhōngyuánjié中元节, guǐjié鬼节 or yúlánpénjié盂兰盆节 for the Buddhist translation) , while the ghosts celebrate the “Generous Chinese People” festival. Popular Chinese belief says that on this night the spirits of ancestors return to Earth to visit them, and that being hungry after a long journey, it is necessary to feed them; furthermore, the ritual burning of papier-mâché objects that reproduce material goods of common use takes place, in the hope that they can be used in the afterlife by loved ones. The spirits of the Ghost Zone do not consume the food that is offered to the deceased, but, unexpectedly, the heat from the combustion of papier-mâché objects, as well as sometimes sakè. Also, this is a time considered "supernatural" for the spirits: many of them swear that they have actually seen the ancestors of humans, which is why there is a stigma around tasting the food left as an offering, because it might belong to someone else. Have you ever seen a ghost who is afraid of ghosts? During the Festival of the Generous Chinese People, it might happen!
Birthday of the Ghost Monarch:
date determined, of course, by the birthday of the person wearing the Ghost Crown at that time. The spirits are forced, often against their will, to celebrate another year of their ruler's life, participating in parades in which the banners of the monarch's "house" are waved, chants, ritual battles and heart-rending screams (which, although strange for people of flesh, are almost always very welcome to ghosts in positions of power).
August 31st:
the Baby Ghost Festival is celebrated, a time when all the inhabitants of a phantomhive hunt down paralarvae, newborn or slightly larger spirits, with the aim of predicting the future from the first larva that is captured. The first adult spirit that captures a paralarva is rewarded and crowned "seer" for a day, then the characteristics of the paralarva will be analyzed (through criteria such as color, size, mobility and type of core) to determine what will happen. Sometimes the parents of the paralarva in question are annoyed by the fact that their baby has been scared, and this can lead to uncontrolled fights between the "seer" and the parents of the baby, often accompanied by the howls of the fans, who think they can get further details about the future from the outcome of the fight.
Independence Day:
of extremely variable date, it represents the first day of a period of sleep of the Phantom Monarch, since sometimes these entities can sleep (not always naturally, but often induced) for very long periods of time. Independence Day is one of the most important among the various international celebrations and is celebrated with public speeches, songs and fireworks.
Of course there are many other small festival and holidays, but they're limited to phantomhives and there are too many to talk about here!