Ghosts and the Spirit world can be compared to Gods and religions. The way people have distinguished Gods and religions on the basis of different cultures, on the same principle people have distinguished Ghosts, and given them special references in diverse societies. There are different ghosts for different regions or for those matter different countries, which are characterized by different powers and sundry characteristic features.

A Hindu country, India has many people who believe in the existence of Bhuta (ghosts are known by this name there) which is an evil Spirit. According to strong beliefs, Bhutas are always evil and belong to male gender. They are restless and never stay on the ground. Female ghosts there are known as churail and dakana. Churail is an irresistible and a seductive woman with backward-facing feet. The dakana is not a human figure, but it will appear as flame in isolated places. If the person is afraid, then the flame will possess him, and if he is not afraid then the flame disappears. Bugaboo is a friendly Indian ghost, which guards the village against evil spirits.

There is a ghost named Duppy which has its pedigree in West Indies. Duppy appears when coins and a glass of rum are thrown on its graveyard. Duppies are extremely evil. If they breathe on a person, he/she becomes sick, while the person touched by the Duppy suffers from a fit. Duppies are harmless, if they don’t return to their graveyards by dawn.
Irish ghosts of Ireland are of different sizes. They can be huge and invisible, headless, mischievous and at times, even helpful. The Irish spirits can take the form of animals such as rabbits, cats, black dogs, rats etc. The Irish word for Ghost is Tash and sometimes it is even called Thevshi. Tash lives in walls and can be very restless and noisy. They aren’t dangerous unless, someone stir ups anger in them. They are in fact, known to be happy spirits.

Japanese Ghosts usually are referred as Obaka. A Japanese ghost named Hantu Langsuir, is a small ghost, which has one head and a tail and is always in search of blood. Umi Bozu is a Japanese sea ghost who haunts Japanese sailors. It is very scary to look at; with enormous body size and terrifying eyes. There is yet another Japanese sea ghost named Shojo, which is a harmless ghost. Shojo is not frightful in appearance, but rather it has bright red hair and loves to drink while attending the parties.

Though, there are copious ghosts in different countries with different features and different names they are known to helm people and their minds with fear, all over the globe. However, the next time you visit a country, and encounter some ghost while walking down a lonely corridor, do not forget to respect it and address it with at least his/her name. Happy Ghost Encounter!