Explore Different Thanksgiving Cultures this Thanksgiving Day

You have heard of the American and Canadian Thanksgiving Day celebrations. But have you heard of Indian Thanksgiving, or maybe the Chinese one?

Before we dig into different cultures, understand the underlying sentiment of Thanksgiving Day. This auspicious day is dedicated to showing gratitude to mother nature. Thanksgiving celebration is a harvest festival celebrated around family gatherings, grand feasts, and much more. However, there is no limit to tradition how you celebrate the day. It focuses on bringing family together, preparing an authentic, delicious meal with fresh farm produce, and thanking God for being blessed throughout the year.

Thanksgiving is not just an American celebration; many countries celebrate the harvest with their own unique traditions in various seasons. This Thanksgiving, we take you on a journey around the world and introduce you to some joyous harvest festivals in different cultures.

North America:

When we think of Thanksgiving Celebration, the two countries that pop in our mind are USA and Canada. But there are other parts of the continent like Grenada and Barbados which celebrate their own versions of Thanksgiving. The USA celebrates the nationwide Thanksgiving holiday on the fourth Thursday of November, while Canada dedicates it on the second Monday of October.

For countries like the USA, the Thanksgiving festival is one of the major celebrations of the year. The tradition is not limited to a grand feast, turkey, and family reunion; it also involves a thanksgiving parade, involves charity work, volunteers to serve food at homeless shelters, etc. If we focus on the Canadians, then they solely on the splendor of early October and the harvest!

South America:

Let’s move into the south part of America, where the USA’s Thanksgiving tradition reflects in the southern cultures. The notable country that celebrates Thanksgiving or harvest festival on the same day as the USA is Brazil. Though the USA has a significant influence on tradition, this Latin American country has its own essence to bring to the festival.

The holiday is Dia de Aço de Graças, and it commences with an early church service in which churchgoers express their gratitude for the forthcoming autumn harvest season. After that, folks spend their day at the carnival and enjoy some local thanksgiving delicacies. Brazilians enjoy the identical Thanksgiving Day cuisine as Americans, except that they substitute jabuticaba, a grape tree fruit, for cranberry sauce.

Asia:

When we move west from the American continents, we see harvest festivals in Asian countries like China, Malaysia, India, South Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and others. Despite differences in history, culture, and chronology from the American thanksgiving celebration, they all honor the harvest and express gratitude to nature.

On the 15th day of the eighth lunar cycle, China celebrates the “Chung Chiu” Moon Festival, or the autumn harvest. On this day, Chinese families gather for a feast and observe the full moon together. The grand celebration includes a delicious thanksgiving delicacy-the mooncake; Singing and reciting poems in its honor are part of the tradition for the Chinese.

On the same day, Vietnam celebrates Têt-Trung-Thu or Trung Thu. During this harvest festival, people express thanks and honor their relatives, while Korea celebrates Chuseok. For the Korean Thanksgiving celebration, Songpyeon, a rice cake, is one of the most significant dishes.

Malaysia is another Asian country that honors the harvest like Thanksgiving Day. Local ethnic Kadazan-Dusuns in the Malaysian state of Sabah observe the Kaamatan harvest festival during May.

Labor Thanksgiving Day is held in Japan every year on November 23. The celebration was initially known as Niinamesai, and it commemorated the arrival of the harvest season. However, as Japan progressed and transformed from an agricultural to an industrial society, the celebrations shifted from honoring farmers to praising workers.

Being one of the world’s most diversified countries, India commemorates Mother Nature and fresh produce in 18 different ways every year. Makar Sankranti, Baisakhi, Lohri, Bhogali Bihu, Gudi Padwa, Nabanna, Onam, Pongal, and Ugadi are all regional harvest festivals celebrated through the different states of India. This beautifully exemplifies the genuine meaning of unity in diversity.

Oceania:

As we travel through Oceania, we will see a Thanksgiving festival on Norfolk Island, Australia.

A tiny distant island amid the Pacific Ocean celebrates Thanksgiving every year on the last Wednesday of November. It is observed as part of the American tradition of Thanksgiving Day. The island celebrates the festival through events, church services and spends the day with their loved ones.

Africa:

Countries like Ghana, Liberia have dedicated a day to celebrate the harvest. In Ghana, the tradition differs from that of the United States. However, in Liberia, it is nearly identical to the USA except for the date, which is the first Thursday of November every year.

Ghana’s harvest festival is also centered around thankfulness. The Homowo festival is the traditional name for the festival, which honors the Ga tribe’s ancestors’ perseverance amid a famine centuries ago. For the harvest feast, special meals are cooked, such as kpokpoi.

Europe:

Let us make our way to our final destination, Europe. Germany has a harvest celebration called Erntedankfest. However, the date is not fixed for the entire country; it changes depending on where you live. Rural religious groups mainly observe it, and the local agrarian communities express gratitude and honor their crops on this day. The festival isn’t simply celebrated in Germany; it’s also celebrated in most German-speaking countries, including Austria and Switzerland.

Thanksgiving Day is also observed in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. British and Dutch versions of Thanksgiving are very similar to American Thanksgiving.

Take Away:

Thanksgiving Day is about family reunions, expressing gratitude to the farmlands, farmers, and crops. You will observe the cultural difference when we talk about the thanksgiving celebration or harvest festival, but the purpose is the same. We are blessed to live on this planet. Thanksgiving celebration focuses on nurturing our inner-self, family values, and thanking mother nature.

We are blessed to see another year post-pandemic and thankful to the almighty for making us strong. We would love to hear from you too, and share your unique traditions with us and how you celebrate your Thanksgiving Day.

Also, Thanksgiving Day 2021 holds a significant value to humankind. So, we are giving away points to cheer you up in this festive season. Register as a panelist and participate in the contest through our social media channels. To participate, click on the link Instagram. 

Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Surveying! 🙂