Countries that Celebrate Thanksgiving
In the United States, Thanksgiving is one of the biggest holiday celebrations of the year. Thanksgiving is often thought of as an American holiday, but there are also several other countries that have their own version of the holiday. Various cultures have unique and interesting ways to give thanks. Many countries have taken part in the holiday and set time aside to celebrate Thanksgiving.
The United States and Canada have similar Thanksgiving celebrations. In theUnited States, Thanksgiving is thought to date back to the pilgrims that established a colony in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. After the harvest, the pilgrims had a big meal with the Native Americans and gave thanks. Thanksgiving wasn’t made a National holiday until 1789. President George Washington announced that the day of October 3 would be a day of giving thanks. Years later, President Franklin Roosevelt made the fourth Thursday in November the official holiday of Thanksgiving. Today, Thanksgiving in the United States is celebrated by cooking a feast and spending time with family. TheCanadianholiday of Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October, during the harvest. The holiday is celebrated as a three day weekend. The traditions are quite similar to American traditions of cooking a meal and getting together with family.
Although the United States and Canada are the countries with the biggest Thanksgiving celebrations, there are also other countries with holidays that are similar. Germany hasErntedankfeston the first Sunday in October. This is a religious holiday that includes food, dancing and spending time with loved ones. Like the United States, Japan has a holiday in November calledLabor Thanksgiving Day, to celebrate hard work throughout the country’s history and to give thanks.
Many countries give thanks during the harvest season. The British haveLammas Day,in August, to celebrate the harvest.Chusok, the Korean Thanksgiving, is also in August. They have a meal, spend time with family and visit the graves of loved ones who have passed on. China has a unique way of observing Thanksgiving. The day is referred to as theAugust Moon Festival.Like Chusok, the celebration is in August, on the day believed to be the moon’s birthday. This is the day where the moon is most visible in the sky. Children are told to look for a lady in the moon and make a wish. The people have a feast and make mooncakes, with a variety of ingredients. These cakes can be made with the traditional ingredients of bean paste and eggs, or with alternative ingredients such as ice cream or yogurt. Vietnam also has a celebration with mooncakes on the same day as the August Moon Festival. This day is calledTet –Trung-Thuand is used to celebrate children, education and folklore. It is a fun day for Vietnamese children who get the opportunity to eat mooncakes, listen to stories and participate in other activities.
In Greece, there was once a holiday calledThesmophoria,that gives thanks and honor to the goddess, Demeter. Demeter was the goddess of agriculture and provided nourishment to the people. This holiday was a time to give offerings to the goddess. The holiday is not celebrated by the masses anymore, but there are still some Greeks who do have a Thesmophoria celebration. The celebrations took place during October and November. Thanksgiving celebrations inRome and Egyptare similar to Greece. Rome hasCerelia, to honor Ceres, goddess of corn, and Egypt has aSpring Harvest Festival, to honor Min, the deity of vegetation. These days are celebrated with feasts, dancing, music and parades during the harvest season.
Some countries focus on more religious aspects of the holiday. Jews celebrateSukkot, a time to remember the hardships of ancestors and give thanks for the harvest. A Sukkot was a temporary building people lived in while wandering the dessert throughout Israel many years ago. Sukkot is also a harvest festival. The harvest takes place for seven days in the months of October or November. The people build a Sukkot, or temporary shelter with material found in nature. This tradition comes from the bible. Individuals do not have to live in the shelter, but are advised to eat there and spend as much time there as possible.
These are only a few of the countries that have Thanksgiving celebrations. Other countries that celebrate include Switzerland, Australia, and India. All these different countries have unique ways of celebrating Thanksgiving. It’s a day to give thanks and remember those who are less fortunate. People spend the day with family and count the blessings in life. The holiday has evolved over hundreds of years, but people still keep the same basic traditions. It’s about giving thanks for what you have.
