For Americans, Thanksgiving is a time of year we seemingly all look forward to. Typically, the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Thanksgiving is turkey, football, and Black Friday shopping. We also can’t forget about the Macy’s Day Parade… some of us are lucky enough to watch it in person and the majority of us settle in on the couch and watch it on the TV. It’s a time where we come together with our loved ones to celebrate all we’re thankful for in life (hence the name of the holiday) and eat more than we probably should- that’s OK, though, because we’ll burn all those calories playing flag football with our families and rampaging Target at the crack of dawn the next morning. Right? Well, yes and no.
While this is a pretty accurate description of an American Thanksgiving, I think it’s important to know what it’s like to celebrate this holiday in other countries and how their cuisine may look a little different from ours, but it’s just as good to them as our sweet potato casserole is to us Americans.
America.
Thanksgiving is a public holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November here in the United States. The holiday originated as a harvest festival and has nationally been celebrated since 1789 after a proclamation was given by George Washington and became a federal holiday in 1863 when Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it to be a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”
The event that we Americans most commonly call the "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the ‘New World’ which took place in 1621.This feast lasted three days, which is a little longer than our typical Thanksgiving dinner last (LOL).
Germany
“Thanksgiving” in Germany is observed as a religious holiday that takes place on the first Sunday of October and is otherwise known as Erntedankfest. This is an observed harvest festival where people essentially give thanks for a good year and for a good fortune. In rural areas, the harvest aspect might be taken more literally, but churches in cities also hold festivities. Festivities may include a procession where women in particular wear Erntekrone, which are crowns made out of grains, flowers, and even fruits. It is said that turkey isn’t a typical feast on this day, but fattened chickens, hens, and geese are some examples of their feast of choice.
Japan.
In Japan, their version of Thanksgiving is otherwise known as Kinro Kansha no Hi and it’s a national public holiday that the Japanese celebrate on November twenty-third. This holiday is derived from ancient harvest festival rituals named Niinamesai, but its modern meaning is tied to a celebration of hard work and community involvement (hence its translation: Labor Thanksgiving Day). While Niinamesai's traditions reach back thousands of years, Kinrō Kansha no Hi was created officially in 1948. It was intended to celebrate the rights of workers in post-World War II Japan. Today it is celebrated with labor organization-strong festivities.
Liberia.
A variation of America's Thanksgiving can be found in the West African nation of Liberia, which was founded in the 19th century by freed slaves from the U.S. This holiday is mainly celebrated by Christians as Liberians take the concept of the cornucopia (or horn of plenty) and fill their churches with baskets of local fruits like bananas, papayas, mangoes, and pineapples. After the service is over, baskets of these fruits are auctioned off. The winners of these baskets get to take them home and feast on the fruit. Before nightfall, though, concerts are put on and there is much dancing involved as this has become a distinct part of Liberia’s Thanksgiving traditions.
Norfolk Island.
Lastly, in Norfolk Island, a small and remote Pacific Island that sits between Australia and New Zealand, they use Thanksgiving to connect with the U.S. Thanksgiving for these Whaler’s began when American trader Isaac Robinson proposed decorating the All Saints Church with palm leaves and lemons, hoping to attract whalers to a Thanksgiving service/celebration. Though Robinson passed away before the following Thanksgiving, the tradition caught on. Now on the last Wednesday of November, families bring fruit and vegetables to the church to celebrate, tying cornstalks to pews and decorating the altar with fresh flowers. Where they would once recollect their offerings afterwards, now these are sold to raise money for the church.
While we may not all celebrate Thanksgiving the same, we all seem to have one thing in common: coming together to celebrate our blessings and share with those around us what we’re most thankful for. Thanksgiving is a season of gratitude and no matter if you’re from Japan or the United States, we all have something to be thankful for.
Note: I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving surrounded by all those you love the most and remember to be thankful and grateful for everything you have every day, not just on one day of the year. Now, let’s go eat some pumpkin pie or whatever it is you beautiful people eat.
