Cultural Practices of Honoring Ancestors
Join us virtually via Instagram @oakcliffculturalcenter, @itsjujubae, or @taylorcrumpton on October 1, 2025, at 12:00 noon CT/ 1:00 PM ET.
Taylor Crumpton is a music, pop culture, and politics writer from Dallas. In her work—which can be found in outlets like TIME, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Harper’s Bazaar, The Guardian, NPR, and many other platforms—Crumpton writes about a range of topics from Black Queer advocacy to the underrepresented hip-hop scenes in the southern United States to pop analysis on releases like “WAP” and “Black Is King”.
Osunfunmilola affectionately known as Juju Bae is a practitioner of multiple West African and diasporic traditions, including Ifa, Hoodoo Conjure, and is an Ọṣun priestess in the Orisha tradition. She is the founder of Juju Bae, a multimedia Black-centric resource that seeks to demystify the Black occult through storytelling interviews and lighthearted conversations with twenty-first-century relevance. She is the host of the acclaimed A Little Juju podcast, which encourages Black people to find a home in Africana spiritual spaces and thought, and has starred in the Hulu docuseries Living for the Dead. She helps people, young and old, to remember that we have the tools and guidance with us as we journey through this lifetime. Juju is a sought-after spiritual teacher who loves to sing and holds a BA in psychology from Spelman College. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.
October is a significant time for many spiritual traditions, and Hoodoo Heritage Month, founded by Mama Rue and the Walking the Dikenga Collective in 2019, highlights the importance of honoring Hoodoo’s rich legacy. Hoodoo, a deeply rooted spiritual practice born from the resilience and magico-religious traditions of formerly enslaved African Americans, has often been misrepresented. This month-long observance resists these misrepresentations while celebrating the culture, wisdom, and power of ancestral practice.
In close proximity, October 31st marks All Hallows’ Eve (Halloween), a day associated with honoring the dead and spiritual transitions. Following this, early November brings a convergence of remembrance days, including:
All Saints’ Day (November 1st), observed by many Christian traditions to honor all saints.
All Souls’ Day (November 2nd), focusing on the souls of the departed).
Dia de los Muertos (Mexico, November 1st-2nd), a vibrant celebration of life and death where families remember their loved ones with altars, offerings, and communal rituals.
Fet Gede (Haiti), celebrated in early November, a Vodou festival where spirits of the dead (Gede) are honored through ceremonies, offerings, and celebrations.
These observances, despite cultural differences, share a reverence for ancestors and the spiritual world. Hoodoo Heritage Month, in particular, plays a key role in reclaiming the narrative around African American spiritual practices and their ancestral roots.
