Festivals of the Dead Some festivals are held to honour thedead or to satisfy the ancestors, who mightreturn either to help or to do harm. For theJapanese festival Obon, people should go toclean graves andlight incense in memory oftheir ancestors. They also light lamps andplay music because they think that this willlead the ancestors back to earth. In Mexico,people celebrate the Day of the Dead in earlyNovember. On this important feast day, peopleeat food in the shape of skulls and cakes