Veneration of the dead

In many cultures the dead are seen as not permanently severed from the living. Some groups venerate their ancestors, some groups venerate heroic mortals as having god-like qualities, and some groups offer gifts to placate angry ghosts -- the approaches differ. This article will examine similarities and differences in the relationships between the living and the dead.

The minimum requirement for veneration offered to the dead is probably some kind of belief in an afterlife, a survival at least for a time of personal identity beyond death.

Egyptian attitudes toward, practices in connection with, and festivals of the dead

Celtic attitudes toward, practices in connection with, and festivals of the dead

see Samhain

Greek attitudes toward, practices in connection with, and festivals of the dead

Roman attitudes toward, practices in connection with, and festivals of the dead

Hebrew attitudes toward, practices in connection with, and festivals of the dead

Rabbinical Judaism's attitudes toward, practices in connection with, and festivals of the dead

Early Christianity's attitudes toward, practices in connection with, and festivals of the dead

Chinese attitudes toward, practices in connection with, and festivals of the dead