Oct. 28 Diwali, Hindu+ Sikh Festival of Lights, Jains: Mahavira's final liberation; Oct. 31 All Hallows Eve; Nov. 1 All Saints +Samhain: Wicca , Druid, elebration of the dead and elderly ; Nov. 2 All Souls
Diwali "Festival of lights in Hinduism. Homes are lit with numerous tiny clay lamps in commemoration of the defeat of Ravana by Rama, and the festival marks the resumption of social activities, such as pilgrimages and marriages. The story is symbolic of the return of light after the monsoon." World Encyclopedia. Philip's, 2008. Oxford Reference Online.
All Saints "The commemoration of all the faithful departed is celebrated by the Church on 2 November, or, if this be a Sunday or a solemnity, on 3 November. The Office of the Dead must be recited by the clergy and all the Masses are to be of Requiem, except one of the current feast, where this is of obligation.The theological basis for the feast is the doctrine that the souls which, on departing from the body, are not perfectly cleansed from venial sins, or have not fully atoned for past transgressions, are debarred from the Beatific Vision, and that the faithful on earth can help them by prayers, almsdeeds and especially by the sacrifice of the Mass. (See PURGATORY.)"
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01315b.htm
Dia de los Muertos "For Mexicans, special breads baked in memory of the dead are served during these days of remembrance.. . . . With a strong belief in the afterlife, the land of Míctlan, and the association of the continuum of life/death/rebirth, or resurrection, it is reasonable that Mesoamerican civilizations ascertained similarities and altered practices to coincide with Christian rituals. As the two cultures merged, alterations in both created a new syncretism. All Saints' Day became día de los angelitos or día de los santos inocentes, honoring the young and innocent deceased; All Souls' Day, día de todos los muertos or día de los fieles difuntos, commemorates deceased adults.
In pre-Hispanic times, celebrations included flowers, paper or bark images, foods such as tamales, fruits, pumpkin seeds, and beverages of chocolate and pulque (an alcoholic drink of the fermented sap of maguey)......Altar tables with ofrendas (offerings) to the deceased are seen in museums and libraries. Altars are shrines with photographs of the honored person decorated with flowers, papel picado (cut-paper images), fruits, special foods such as moles and guisados (meats in spicy sauces), candy skulls, chocolate, sugar cane, pan de muerto (skeleton-shaped pastries), the person's favorite beverage, cigars or cigarettes if appropriate, and related mementos. . . . At cemetery entrances vendors sell their wares for ofrendas for altars, and can become lively with riotous color, aroma, and sound. The cacophony of vendors peddling flowers, especially cempasuchil (marigolds), papier mâché figures, candles, pan de muerto, and molded sugar skulls, combined with the chattering of families and the inevitable singing of a remembered favorite melody creates an ambience of celebration.
Juanita Elizondo Garza "Dia de los Muertos" The Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States. Suzanne Oboler and Deena J. González, Oxford University Press 2005.
Samhain: The most important of the four great calendar feasts of Celtic tradition. . . . The different celebrations of Samain over the centuries explain some of the traditions still popularly attached to Halloween. Standing between the two halves of the Celtic year, Samain seemed suspended in time, when the borders between the natural and the supernatural dissolve and the spirits from the Otherworld might move freely into the realm of mortals. Concurrently, humans might perceive more of the realm of the dead at this time, and looked for portents of the future in games. People might choose from small cakes called barmbracks [Ir. bairín breac, speckled loaf, i.e. with currants or raisins] containing a ring or a nut to determine who would be married and who would live singly. Bonfires were built in parts of Ireland and Gaelic Scotland. . . . In Cork the procession of young men blowing horns and making other noises was led by someone calling himself the White Mare, wearing white robes and the configuration of a horse's head. On the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, . . . turnips were hollowed out with candles put inside. "Samain" A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. James McKillop. Oxford University Press, 1998.
Wicca: "modern pagan movement which is both religious and magical . . . .There are now many independent groups within the movement; most are polytheistic, revering gods and goddesses from many mythologies as aspects of a sexual pair of deities, but some feminist covens worship the goddess only. Rituals are linked to the seasonal cycle and the phases of the moon; prehistoric sites and places of natural beauty are greatly respected. A wide variety of magical and meditational techniques are learnt; altars, magic circles, consecrated tools, and ritual invocations are used (Hutton, 1999).
"Wicca" A Dictionary of English Folklore. Jacqueline Simpson and Steve Roud. Oxford University Press, 2000.