Thanksgiving around the world
By Adan Shaikh
While in North America Thanksgiving is marked by turkey dinners and family gatherings, Thanksgiving, or its equivalent is celebrated in different ways across various cultures worldwide. Each of these cultural celebrations shares a common theme, giving thanks for harvests, blessings, and the abundance that life offers.
Canadian
Indigenous people in North America had been celebrating harvest festivals with communal feasts long before the European settlers arrived. However, it is interesting to note that the first Canadian Thanksgiving celebrated by the settlers actually predates the more famous American Thanksgiving by several decades.
The first documented Thanksgiving in Canada took place in 1578 when English explorer Martin Frobisher and his crew held a ceremony to give thanks for their safe arrival in what is now Nunavut. Unlike modern Thanksgiving they did not feast on a turkey dinner, instead their meal consisted of salt beef, biscuits and mushy peas. This was 43 years before the pilgrims sat down for their meal in Massachusetts in 1621. Canadian Thanksgiving evolved through centuries and since 1957, has been celebrated on the second Monday of October.
Canadians gather for meals that generally include roasted turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie, but at some dinners you can also find regional dishes like butter tarts from Ontario or nanaimo bars from B.C.
American
American Thanksgiving, often seen as the iconic celebration of gratitude, commemorates the Pilgrims’ 1621 feast in Massachusetts. This celebration, held in late November, has become a representation of American history and culture, often symbolized by images of the Pilgrims and Native Americans sharing food. It is a time when families come together, not only to enjoy a lavish meal but also to reflect on the blessings of the past year. In the United States of America this holiday is infused with traditions that include watching parades, like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and tuning in to football games, which have become as traditional to the day as the turkey itself.
Harvest Festival
Unlike North America, in the UK, there is no official Thanksgiving holiday, but there is a long-standing tradition of celebrating the harvest.
Harvest Festival is celebrated in churches and schools in late September or early October. People bring fresh produce and food donations to these gatherings, and the items are often distributed to those in need. The celebration is more modest compared to Thanksgiving feasts but emphasizes community and support, a reminder that gratitude is best expressed by sharing our abundance.
Chuseok
Chuseok, often called Korean Thanksgiving, is one of South Korea’s most important holidays. Celebrated in late September or early October, this celebration is to be held on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunisolar calendar.
Chuseok is a three-day event that honours ancestors and celebrates the harvest. Families travel to their hometowns, visit ancestral graves, and partake in traditional feasts featuring dishes like songpyeon (rice cakes) and jeon (savory pancakes). Chuseok is not only about gratitude for the harvest but also a way to honour one’s roots and recognize the contributions of past generations to the present prosperity.
Erntedankfest
Erntedankfest, or the “Harvest Thanksgiving Festival,” is celebrated in Germany, typically in late September or early October. Erntedankfest is a primarily religious holiday observed in churches, focusing on giving thanks for the year’s harvest. It features processions, music, and services where people bring baskets of produce to be blessed. It celebrates abundance and community, with larger cities sometimes holding parades and fairs.
Pongal
Pongal is a four-day harvest festival celebrated in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, typically in January. The festival involves boiling rice with milk and jaggery (a type of unrefined sugar) until it overflows, symbolizing abundance and prosperity. Families come together to cook and share this dish, called Pongal and give thanks for the successful harvest. The emphasis is on nature, particularly the sun, rain, and livestock reflects the close relationship between the land and people’s livelihoods, much like other harvest celebrations worldwide.
Gratitude
Even though Thanksgiving is celebrated differently around the globe, the essence it shares remains the same everywhere, gratitude. Whether it’s celebrating a safe voyage like the early Canadians, giving thanks for a bountiful harvest in India, or honouring ancestors in South-Korea, these traditions highlight that the importance of gratitude is central to humanity.
In our modern, fast-paced lives, Thanksgiving offers a much needed reminder to pause and appreciate the abundance we often take for granted. Family, friends, the food on our tables, the roofs over our heads and the communities that support us are truly, what matters. No matter where you are in the world, taking a moment to reflect on the good things in life is a practice that improves our lives, long after the table has been cleared.