International Thanksgiving

In this informative article, Hailie describes holidays around the world that capture the spirit of Thanksgiving. Learn about the unique traditions that encompass the worldwide celebrations.

International Thanksgiving

By Hailie Zintzun

Thanksgiving is a national holiday that is celebrated in the United States. Filled with parades and lectures about the Mayflower Pilgrims, the holiday holds great prominence in the US. However, imagine if every country had a celebration where families came together to socialize and dine. In all truth, this dream is not too far from reach. Many countries actually have a holiday that is similar to that of the American Thanksgiving. They may not include all the usual traditions like stuffed turkey and football games, but each is unique and special in their own right.

One of the most similar holidays to the one that is celebrated in the US is the Canadian Thanksgiving. While it has the same namesake, the holiday contains many key differences. This includes the fact that the festivity is held on the second Monday of October instead of the fourth Thursday of November. Pre-Confederation, the Canadian Thanksgiving, was a way to thank God for keeping travelers safe. The meaning of thanks is a universal concept, but the reason for it can change over time. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, “The first Thanksgiving after Canadian Confederation didn’t happen until April 1872, when the holiday was observed to celebrate the recovery of the Prince of Wales from a serious illness.” This is a very different Thanksgiving origin story than the one most are familiar with. But there is always one common aspect in every Thanksgiving celebration.

Photo credit: Robert Miller's Canadian Farmer's Almanac for the Year of Our Lord 1872

Photo Credit: James Park/Eater

Food is a large part of any “Thanksgiving” holiday, including Chuseok, which is a September harvest festival in South Korea. CULTURS global multicultural magazine states that, every year, “. . . family members come together to share food and give thanks to their ancestors, holding a memorial service in the morning to honor them. After the memorial service and clearing of weeds from the ancestor’s graves, a feast is served, featuring traditional dishes, such as songpyeon:송편 (a steamed rice cake) and jeon: 전, 煎 (a Korean pancake filled with seafood and vegetables).” This version of Thanksgiving seems like a beautiful way to celebrate the past and present of one’s family.

Children tend to be the heart of a family, so it is only fitting that there is a festival centered around them. In Vietnam, the Children's festival, or Tet Trung Thu, is a day in October taken to sing, dance, and parade lantern-holding children in order to show appreciation of them, the moon, and ancestors. Some of the most popular foods to eat during this holiday are moon cakes, banh bao (steamed buns) and other varieties of round food.

Religion is often a large part of any holiday. In the many forms of Thanksgiving, this is no exception. GoAbroad describes Erntedankfest, the German Thanksgiving, as “...a religiously dominated celebration where the churches run the show!” A tradition includes weaving giant baskets that are filled with delicious food before they are brought to the church in order to be blessed. Afterwards, all the goods are distributed to the poor. The Kadazan Festival in Malaysia is a celebration focused specifically on rice. This is due to the belief that the Creator, Bambaazon, generously saved his people from famine by sacrificing his daughter, which is what caused the rice paddy seeds to exist. The people of Malaysia pay him tribute by holding a festival with activities like buffalo racing and agricultural shows. Another harvest festival that involves rice is that of Pongal. Located in India, the festival takes four days to give thanks to nature in Mid-January. Every one of the four days, a different god or animal is celebrated.

A harvest crown (Erntekrone) on display for the harvest festival in Bad Gögging, Germany. PHOTO: Wikimedia Commons

Photo Credit: Olaoluwa/IITA. Yam wholesale market bubbling with arranging, carrying, buying and selling activities in Accra, Ghana. Yam, a staple food for food security.

Hard work is the underlying theme in most “Thanksgivings.” For every feast, there are people who worked hard all year to make the meal possible. Labor Day Thanksgiving in Japan is a November celebration for spending time with family and friends while getting to reap the fruits of labor. Like this holiday, the Festival of Yams in Ghana focuses on hard work, as it recognizes the success of the harvest season. For the entire month of September, no funerals are allowed to take place. According to CULTURS, the people aim to fondly remember their loved ones by sprinkling cooked yams “. . .outside of various shrines before celebrants are allowed to cook and taste their own yam harvest.”

Thanksgiving, whether it be called by that name or another, is a time where people slow down and take the time to appreciate their family, their food, and what was done in order to have such a moment. Although every celebration is different, these values have proven to remain consistent in them all. For no matter where a person comes from, gratitude seems to be an emotion worth expressing. In nearly every corner of the world, there is something to be thankful for.

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