The United States isn’t the only country that dedicates a holiday to gratitude. And Thanksgiving doesn’t always mean turkey, Native Americans, and pilgrims! In this article, we’ll explore how celebrations of nature’s bounty are found around the world.
- Canada
Canada’s first Thanksgiving celebration occurred in 1578, 40 years earlier than in the US. Martin Frobisher held a first-ever ceremony in gratitude for the safe arrival of their fleet. In fact, First Nations (the indigenous people of Canada) and Native Americans had been holding harvest festivals long before Europeans, some of whom moved to Canada during the Revolutionary War, brought turkey and other customs from the American Thanksgiving. As of 1957, the second Monday in October is the official Canadian Thanksgiving holiday.
- Malaysia
The Kadazan Festival is a day for Malaysians to give thanks to the Creator for the staple of life: rice –“without rice there is no life.” At the festival, held in May, Malaysians thank the Creator, Bambaazon, for his generosity in facilitating life on Earth. They believe that Bambaazon sacrificed his daughter in order to save the people from great famine. Her body, buried in pieces across the land, seeds and nourishes the rice paddy. The festival includes rice wine, buffalo races, and agricultural shows,
- Korea
During the Chuseok Harvest Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, elders and ancestral roots are commemorated. Families return to their ancestor’s hometowns and hold memorials at relatives’ grave sites. They enjoy rice cakes, taro soup, mushrooms, and freshly harvested rice. They participate in archery competitions, musical competitions, and folk music, which combine to create a special time for happiness and togetherness with the people they love.
- Ghana
The Homowo festival centers on the new yam harvest. It is celebrated in August or September. Families come together and compete to see who will harvest the largest crop. Bounty is shared, with yams taking center stage. The villagers dance and sing and often use the time to settle family disputes.
- Germany
Thanksgiving Day in Germany is a celebration called Erntedankfest. Many attend church and give thanks for the year’s harvest. Some of the harvest bounty is distributed to the poor, after which parades let children enjoy the festivities. The Germans serve mohnstriezel, a sweet bread sprinkled with poppy seeds.
- China
In the middle of the autumn season, the Moon Festival, which lasts three days, originates in the Chinese customs of moon-sacrificial ceremonies, when prayers, poems, and offerings were burned as offerings. Today, families gather around a table, talk, eat, and reflect on the importance of family. They eat moon cakes to commemorate past observances.
- Israel
Sukkot is celebrated in late September or late October. It commemorates a time when the Jewish people traveled for 40 years through the desert after fleeing slavery in Egypt. For seven days families and friends gather in sukkahs, the temporary huts built to remember the temporary dwellings they lived in in the desert. The joyous evenings also celebrate the annual harvest that sustains all the people.
- India
Pongal is a time for Indians to give thanks to nature during a four-day long festival held in mid-January in Southern India. They enjoy rice, sugarcane, coconut, and bananas. Each day is devoted to a different portion of the festival, including day 3 to celebrate and adorn the cows. All participants wear traditional dress.
What these festivals have in common is the gratitude the participants express. People come together to celebrate, and to reflect back on the gifts of the past year.
Run with a heart of gratitude and you’ll travel further than you ever thought you could. – Anonymous
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