Thanksgiving Around the World

Hello, it's Gabe again, this week I have a prepared a Thanksgiving-themed post, since this Thursday is Thanksgiving in the US. I figured I would do something Thanksgiving themed, and figured an overview of Thanksgiving celebrations around the world would be fitting.

United States

This is the Thanksgiving I am most familiar with, so I'll write about that first. Thanksgiving in the US is viewed as a day where families gather to spend quality time with one another, usually culminating around some sort of large meal. Foods traditionally associated with Thanksgiving are turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry, and pumpkin pie. Another tradition on Thanksgiving is the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade which is a televised event that combs the streets of New York, there are also American football games played on Thanksgiving day, which is another American tradition.

Canada

This Thanksgiving celebration is probably the most like its American counterpart, with many of the food items the same. Canadian Thanksgiving usually occurs on the first Monday of October, and while widely practiced is not recognized as a public holiday in every province. 

China

In China, the people observe a Mid-Autumn Festival, which occurs on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, so usually occurs in late-September or early-October. This observance began approximately 2500 years ago as a time to celebrate the harvest and the changing of the seasons. Food varies greatly from its more widely known American equivalent, with moon cake being a popular desert for this occasion, the moon cake is a baked good that consists of sesame seeds, duck egg, and ground lotus seed. 

Germany

A religious holiday called Erntedankfest occurs on the first Sunday of October, and is a time where people celebrate the harvest and give thanks for a good year. Traditional foods for this occasion would be chickens or geese, however turkey is becoming more prevalent. 

Liberia

Thanksgiving in Liberia started in the 19th century when freed slaves from the United States moved to the region. Today the people fill cornucopias with local produce - think bananas, papaya, pineapple, and mango - take them to their churches where the families will bid on different cornucopias which are then taken home for families to feast together. Increasingly there are celebrations with music and dancing occurring as part of the tradition.

I hope you all enjoyed our look at some Thanksgiving festivities from around the world. As always, leave a comment below regarding Thanksgiving and its traditions around the world!