Editing Ghost (section)

==By culture==

===African folklore===
For the [[Igbo people]], a man is simultaneously a physical and spiritual entity. However, it is his spirited dimension that is [[Eternity|eternal]].<ref name="quodlibet.net">{{cite web|url=http://www.quodlibet.net/articles/ozumba-africa.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101116162056/http://www.quodlibet.net/articles/ozumba-africa.shtml|archive-date=2010-11-16|title=G. O. Ozumba: African Traditional Metaphysics - Quodlibet Journal|website=www.quodlibet.net|access-date=2016-11-22}}</ref> In the [[Akan people|Akan]] conception, we witness five parts of the human personality. We have the Nipadua (body), the Okra (soul), Sunsum (spirit), Ntoro (character from father), Mogya (character from mother).<ref name="quodlibet.net"/> The [[Humur|Humr]] people of southwestern [[Kordofan]], [[Sudan]] consume the drink Umm Nyolokh, which is prepared from the [[liver]] and [[bone marrow]] of [[giraffe]]s. [[Richard Rudgley]]<ref>Rudgley, Richard ''The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Substances'', pub. Abacus 1998 {{ISBN|0 349 11127 8}} pps. 20-21.</ref> hypothesises that Umm Nyolokh may contain [[N,N-Dimethyltryptamine|DMT]] and certain online websites further theorise that giraffe liver might owe its putative psychoactivity to substances derived from [[psychoactive plant]]s, such as [[Acacia]] spp. consumed by the animal. The drink is said to cause hallucinations of giraffes, believed by the Humr to be the ghosts of giraffes.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Ian Cunnison|title= Giraffe hunting among the Humr tribe|journal=Sudan Notes and Records|volume=39|year=1958}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cracked.com/article/81_6-animals-that-can-get-you-high/|title=6 Animals That Can Get You High|access-date=18 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215131307/http://www.cracked.com/article/81_6-animals-that-can-get-you-high/|archive-date=15 December 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===European folklore===
{{Further|Revenant|Necromancy|Samhain}}
[[File:Banquo.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''[[Macbeth]] Seeing the Ghost of [[Banquo]]'' by [[Théodore Chassériau]]]]

Belief in ghosts in [[European folklore]] is characterized by the recurring fear of "returning" or ''[[revenant]]'' deceased who may harm the living. This includes the Scandinavian ''[[gjenganger]]'', the Romanian ''[[strigoi]]'', the Serbian ''[[vampire|vampir]]'', the Greek ''[[vrykolakas]]'', etc. In Scandinavian and Finnish tradition, ghosts appear in corporeal form, and their supernatural nature is given away by behavior rather than appearance. In fact, in many stories they are first mistaken for the living. They may be mute, appear and disappear suddenly, or leave no footprints or other traces. [[English folklore]] is particularly notable for its numerous [[reportedly haunted locations in the United Kingdom|haunted locations]].

===South and Southeast Asia===
====Indian subcontinent====
{{Main article|Bhoot (ghost)}}

A ''bhoot'' or ''bhut'' ({{langx|hi|भूत}}, {{langx|gu|ભૂત}}, {{langx|ur|بهوت}}, {{langx|bn|ভূত}}, {{langx|or|ଭୂତ}}) is a supernatural creature, usually the ghost of a deceased person, in the popular culture, literature and some ancient texts of the [[Indian subcontinent]].

===== North India =====
Interpretations of how ''bhoot''s come into existence vary by region and community, but they are usually considered to be perturbed and restless due to some factor that prevents them from moving on (to [[reincarnation|transmigration]], non-being, [[nirvana]], or heaven or hell, depending on tradition). This could be a violent death, unsettled matters in their lives, or simply the failure of their survivors to perform proper funerals.<ref name="ref88muliq">{{Cite book |title=Students' Britannica India, Volumes 1–5 |editor=Hoiberg, Dale |author=Ramchandani, Indu |publisher=Popular Prakashan, 2000 |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-85229-760-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kpd9lLY_0-IC |quote=Bhut also spelt bhoot, in Hindu mythology, a restless ghost. Bhoots are believed to be malignant if they have died a violent of premature death or have been denied funerary rites. |access-date=2016-03-14 |archive-date=2023-07-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230725112555/https://books.google.com/books?id=Kpd9lLY_0-IC |url-status=live }}</ref>

In Central and Northern India, ''ojha'' or [[spirit guide]]s play a central role.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Biswas |first=Ankit |date=2020-11-24 |title=The Practice of Shamanism and Indigenous Art of India |url=https://www.karwaanheritage.in/post/the-practice-of-shamanism-and-indigenous-art-of-india |access-date=2024-09-16 |website=Karwaan: The Heritag |language=en}}</ref> It duly happens when in the night someone sleeps and decorates something on the wall, and they say that if one sees the spirit the next thing in the morning he will become a spirit too, and that to a headless spirit and the soul of the body will remain the dark with the dark lord from the spirits who reside in the body of every human in Central and Northern India. It is also believed that if someone calls one from behind, never turn back and see because the spirit may catch the human to make it a spirit.
Other types of spirits in Hindu mythology include [[Baital]], an evil spirit who haunts cemeteries and takes [[demonic possession]] of corpses, and [[Pishacha]], a type of flesh-eating demon.

===== Bengal and East India =====
{{Main article|Ghosts in Bengali culture}}
There are many kinds of ghosts and similar supernatural entities that frequently come up in [[Bengali culture]], its folklores and form an important part in Bengali peoples' socio-cultural beliefs and superstitions. It is believed that the spirits of those who cannot find peace in the afterlife or die unnatural deaths remain on Earth. The word ''Pret'' (from Sanskrit) is also used in Bengali to mean ghost. In Bengal, ghosts are believed to be the spirit after death of an unsatisfied human being or a soul of a person who dies in unnatural or abnormal circumstances (like murder, suicide or accident). Even it is believed that other animals and creatures can also be turned into ghost after their death.

====Thailand====
{{main article|Ghosts in Thai culture}}
[[File:XRF-krasue.jpg|thumb|left|150px|''[[Krasue]]'', a Thai female ghost known as ''Ap'' in [[Khmer language|Khmer]]]]
Ghosts in [[Thailand]] are part of local [[Thai folklore|folklore]] and have now become part of the popular culture of the country. [[Phraya Anuman Rajadhon]] was the first Thai scholar who seriously studied Thai folk beliefs and took notes on the [[nocturnal]] village spirits of Thailand. He established that, since such spirits were not represented in paintings or drawings, they were purely based on descriptions of popular orally transmitted [[oral tradition|traditional stories]]. Therefore, most of the contemporary [[iconography]] of ghosts such as [[Nang Tani]], [[Nang Takian]],<ref>[http://board.postjung.com/m/514876.html Ghosts of Thai folklore] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101181521/http://board.postjung.com/m/514876.html |date=2013-11-01 }}. Board.postjung.com. Retrieved on 2013-03-21.</ref> [[Krasue]], [[Krahang]],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230307192742/http://www.thaighosts.net/ghost/phi-krahang?page=2 Phi Krahang]. Thaighosts.net. Retrieved on 2013-03-21.</ref> [[Phi Hua Kat]], [[Phi Pop]], [[Phi Phong]], [[Phi Phraya]], and [[Mae Nak]] has its origins in Thai films that have now become [[classic]]s.<ref>[http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj21/panyathai143/DSC01886_resize.jpg Movie poster showing Thai ghosts Krahang and Krasue with Count Dracula] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111155111/http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj21/panyathai143/DSC01886_resize.jpg |date=2012-11-11 }}. photobucket.com</ref><ref>'Ghosts and Spirits of Lan Na (Northern Thailand', in: Forbes, Andrew, and Henley, David, ''Ancient Chiang Mai'' Volume 4. Chiang Mai, Cognoscenti Books, 2012. ASIN: B006J541LE</ref>
The most feared spirit in Thailand is [[Phi Tai Hong]], the ghost of a person who has died suddenly of a violent death.<ref>[http://www.thaiworldview.com/bouddha/animism5.htm Spirits] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307192747/http://www.thaiworldview.com/bouddha/animism5.htm |date=2023-03-07 }}. Thaiworldview.com. Retrieved on 2013-03-21.</ref> The folklore of Thailand also includes the belief that [[sleep paralysis]] is caused by a ghost, [[Phi Am]].

====Tibet====
{{Main article|Ghosts in Tibetan culture}}
There is widespread belief in ghosts in Tibetan culture. Ghosts are explicitly recognized in the [[Tibetan Buddhist]] religion as they were in [[history of Buddhism in India|Indian Buddhism]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Conze |first=Edward |title=A Short History of Buddhism |edition=2|year=1993 |publisher=Oneworld |location=Oxford}}</ref> occupying a distinct but overlapping world to the human one, and feature in many traditional legends. When a human dies, after a period of uncertainty they may enter the ghost world. A [[hungry ghost]] ([[Standard Tibetan|Tibetan]]: {{lang|bo-Latn|yidag}}, {{lang|bo-Latn|yi-dvags}}; {{langx|sa|प्रेत|preta}}) has a tiny throat and huge stomach, and so can never be satisfied. Ghosts may be killed with a ritual dagger or caught in a spirit trap and burnt, thus releasing them to be reborn. Ghosts may also be exorcised, and an annual festival is held throughout Tibet for this purpose. Some say that [[Dorje Shugden]], the ghost of a powerful 17th-century monk, is a deity, but the [[Dalai Lama]] asserts that he is an evil spirit, which has caused a split in the Tibetan exile community.

====Austronesia====
{{Main article|Malay ghost myths|Ghosts in Filipino culture|Ghosts in Polynesian culture}}
[[File:Paul Gauguin- Manao tupapau (The Spirit of the Dead Keep Watch).JPG|thumb|right|''[[Spirit of the Dead Watching]]'' by [[Paul Gauguin]] (1892)]]
There are many [[Malay ghost myths]], remnants of old animist beliefs that have been shaped by later Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim influences in the modern states of [[Indonesia]], [[Malaysia]], and [[Brunei]]. Some ghost concepts such as the female vampires [[Pontianak (folklore)|Pontianak]] and [[Penanggalan]] are shared throughout the region.
Ghosts are a popular theme in modern Malaysian and Indonesian films.
There are also many references to [[ghosts in Filipino culture]], ranging from ancient legendary creatures such as the [[Manananggal]] and [[Tiyanak]] to more modern urban legends and horror films. The beliefs, legends and stories are as diverse as the people of the [[Philippines]].

There was widespread belief in [[ghosts in Polynesian culture]], some of which persists today.
After death, a person's ghost normally traveled to the sky world or the underworld, but some could stay on earth. In many [[Polynesian culture|Polynesian]] legends, ghosts were often actively involved in the affairs of the living. Ghosts might also cause sickness or even invade the body of ordinary people, to be driven out through strong medicines.<ref>{{cite book |title=Hawaiian Legends of Ghosts and Ghost-Gods |last=Westervelt |first=William Drake |publisher=Forgotten Books |year=1985 |isbn=978-1-60506-964-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hVd46sXgkSAC |access-date=2020-11-05 |archive-date=2023-10-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024085409/https://books.google.com/books?id=hVd46sXgkSAC |url-status=live }}</ref>

===East and Central Asia===
{{further|Preta}}

====China====
{{Main article|Ghosts in Chinese culture}}
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[[File:ZhongKui-by-GongKai.jpg|thumb|left|An image of [[Zhong Kui]], the vanquisher of ghosts and evil beings, painted sometime before 1304 AD by [[Gong Kai]]]]

There are many references to ghosts in Chinese culture. Even Confucius said, "Respect ghosts and gods, but keep away from them."<ref name=mincul>{{cite web
 |url = http://www1.chinaculture.org/gb/en_chinaway/2004-03/17/content_46337.htm
 |title = Chinese Ghost Culture
 |publisher = Ministry of Culture, P.R.China
 |access-date = 2010-07-07
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100711183047/http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_chinaway/2004-03/17/content_46337.htm
 |archive-date = 2010-07-11
}}</ref>

The ghosts take many forms, depending on how the person died, and are often harmful. Many Chinese ghost beliefs have been accepted by neighboring cultures, notably Japan and southeast Asia. Ghost beliefs are closely associated with traditional Chinese religion based on ancestor worship, many of which were incorporated in [[Taoism]]. Later beliefs were influenced by [[Buddhism]], and in turn influenced and created uniquely Chinese Buddhist beliefs.

Many Chinese today believe it possible to contact the spirits of their ancestors through a medium, and that ancestors can help descendants if properly respected and rewarded. The annual [[ghost festival]] is celebrated by Chinese around the world. On this day, ghosts and spirits, including those of the deceased ancestors, come out from the [[underworld|lower realm]]. Ghosts are described in classical Chinese texts as well as modern literature and films.

An article in the [[China Post]] stated that nearly 87 percent of Chinese office workers believe in ghosts, and some 52 percent of workers will wear hand art, necklaces, crosses, or even place a crystal ball on their desks to keep ghosts at bay, according to the poll.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} The prevalence of belief is such that the [[Chinese Communist Party|ruling party]] has actively sought to discourage citizens.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Esler |first=Joshua |date=2016 |title=Chinese Ghosts and Tibetan Buddhism: Negotiating between Mythological and "Rational" Narratives |journal=Modern China |volume=42 |issue=5 |pages=505–534 |doi=10.1177/0097700415604425 |jstor=24772270 |issn=0097-7004}}</ref>

====Japan====
[[File:Kuniyoshi The Ghosts.jpg|thumb|320px|[[Utagawa Kuniyoshi]], ''The Ghosts'', {{Circa|1850}}]]
{{Main article|Yūrei|Onryō|Japanese ghost story}}<!--

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{{Nihongo||[[wikt:幽霊|幽霊]]|'''Yūrei'''}} are figures in [[Japanese folklore]], analogous to Western legends of ghosts. The name consists of two [[kanji]], [[wikt:幽|幽]] (''yū''), meaning "faint" or "dim", and [[wikt:霊|霊]] (''rei''), meaning "soul" or "spirit". Alternative names include {{Nihongo|2=亡霊|3=bōrei}} meaning ruined or departed spirit, {{Nihongo|2=死霊|3=shiryō}} meaning dead spirit, or the more encompassing {{Nihongo|2=妖怪|3=[[yōkai]]}} or {{Nihongo|2=お化け|3=[[obake]]}}.

Like their [[Chinese folklore|Chinese]] and Western counterparts, they are thought to be [[soul (spirit)|spirits]] kept from a peaceful [[afterlife]].

===Americas===

====Mexico====
[[File:Catrinas 2.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[La Calavera Catrina|Catrinas]], one of the most popular figures of the ''Day of the Dead'' celebrations in Mexico]]<!--

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There is extensive and varied belief in [[ghosts in Mexican culture]]. The modern state of [[Mexico]] before the [[Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire|Spanish conquest]] was inhabited by diverse peoples such as the [[Maya people|Maya]] and [[Aztec people|Aztec]], and their beliefs have survived and evolved, combined with the beliefs of the [[Spanish people|Spanish]] colonists. The [[Day of the Dead]] incorporates pre-Columbian beliefs with [[Christianity|Christian]] elements. Mexican literature and films include many stories of ghosts interacting with the living.

====United States====
{{Further|Ghosts of the American Civil War|Shadow people|Ghost hunting}}
According to the [[Gallup Poll|Gallup Poll News Service]], belief in haunted houses, ghosts, communication with the dead, and witches had an especially steep increase over the 1990s.<ref>Newport F, Strausberg M. 2001. "Americans' belief in psychic and paranormal phenomena is up over last decade", Gallup Poll News Service. 8 June<!--year?-->[https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind04/c7/c7s2.htm#c7s2l5 "Science and Technology: Public Attitudes and Understanding-Public Knowledge About S&T: Belief in Pseudoscience"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100412093007/https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind04/c7/c7s2.htm#c7s2l5 |date=April 12, 2010 }}, Chapter 7 of ''Science and Engineering Indicators 2004'', National Science Board, National Science Foundation; ''Science and Engineering Indicators 2006'', National Science Board, National Science Foundation.</ref> A 2005 Gallup poll found that about 32 percent of Americans believe in ghosts.<ref name=gallup>{{cite web |url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/17275/onethird-americans-believe-dearly-may-departed.aspx |title=One-Third of Americans Believe Dearly May Not Have Departed |last=Lyons |first=Linda |date=July 12, 2005 |publisher=[[The Gallup Organization#Gallup Poll|Gallup Polls]] |access-date=2010-11-28 |archive-date=2010-08-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100830223749/http://www.gallup.com/poll/17275/OneThird-Americans-Believe-Dearly-May-Departed.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>