Thanksgiving around the World

Not just an American holiday, Thanksgiving is celebrated around the world. Although the dates and customers are different, each country’s holiday revolves around the concept of gratitude.

United States
In the United States, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621 to celebrate a successful harvest in the new land. The celebration was based on harvest traditions that the colonists brought with them from England.

Israel
In Israel, the harvest festival is called Succoth or Sukkot. The celebration lasts for seven days. Succoth is a Biblical pilgrimage festival that occurs in autumn on the 15th day of the month of Tishri (late September to late October). The festival is also known as the Feast of Booths or Feast of Tabernacles, as Jewish families build outdoor booths during the Succoth celebration.

Granada
Granada, a West Indian island, holds its own version of Thanksgiving on October 25th every year. The holiday started in a unique way. It marks the anniversary of the 1983 U.S. military invasion to restore order after the death of communist leader Maurice Bishop. American soldiers who were stationed in the country the following month told locals about their upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, its signature feast, and its intention to focus on gratitude. To show their own gratitude, the people of Grenada worked in secret to surprise the soldiers with meals like those they longed for, complete with turkey and all the fixings. Today, it’s celebrated in formal ceremonies of remembrance.

Germany
In Germany, Erntedankfest, which takes place on the first Sunday of October, is essentially a harvest festival that gives thanks for a good year and good fortune. In rural areas, the harvest aspect might be taken more literally, but churches in cities also hold festivities. Although turkeys are making inroads, fattened up chickens (die Masthühnchen), hens (die Poularde), castrated roosters (der Kapaun) and geese (die Gans) are more commonly served for the feast.

Korea
In Korea the celebration falls on 15th of August, which is known as Chu-Sok (meaning "fall evening"). It begins on the 14th night and continues for three days. Koreans make a dish called 'Songpyon' unique for that occasion consisting of rice, beans, sesame seeds and chestnuts. Before having the food, the family gathers beneath the moonlight, in remembrance of their ancestors and forefathers.

China
The Chinese celebrate the August Moon festival, which falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of their calendar. The Chinese believe that the moon is roundest and brightest on this day. Below the heavenly moonlight, lovers speak out their heart to each other. It is also known as Women Festival. Conventionally, women are considered similes to warm and compassionate virtues and have the gift of fertility, just like Mother Earth. Unlike the famous pumpkin pie, the Chinese delicacies consist of moon-cake. Friends and relatives convey their regard to each other by gifting moon cake.

Brazil
Thanksgiving in Brazil was introduced by the Ambassador of Brazil, who was enamored by the concept of Thanksgiving after a visit where he observed the holiday in the U.S. In August 1949, the President of Brazil, Gaspar Dutra, established the National Day of Thanksgiving. Later, in 1966, Brazil designated the 4th Thursday of November to be the day of the Thanksgiving holiday, just like the United States of America.

Japan
Celebrated on November 23rd, Kinrō Kansha no Hi is a national holiday in Japan. Derived from an ancient harvest ceremony, it is an occasion for commemorating labor and giving thanks to one another. Its modern meaning is more tied to a celebration of hard work and community involvement, hence its translation—Labor Thanksgiving Day. Today it is celebrated with labor organization-led festivities and children creating crafts and gifts for local police officers.

Iran
Mehregan, the Festival of Autumn, is the Persian version of Thanksgiving. It is a Zoroastrian festival that goes back to the 4th century BC, long before Persians become Muslims. Much of this harvest holiday has changed since antiquity, but it is still celebrated by many modern Persians. Mehregan includes family reunions across the country, prayers, a lavishly-decorated dinner table. And plenty of traditional food, served with sherbet, rosewater, almonds, sweets, apples, pomegranates and lotus seeds.

Canada
In Canada, Thanksgiving is a three-day weekend and celebrated mainly on the second Monday in October. It is often celebrated with family. It is also a time for weekend getaways for couples to participate in various outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing and hunting.

Liberia
In Liberia, they celebrate with thanks on the first Thursday of November. Freed slaves from the United States brought with them some of the American traditions when they left and colonized Liberia. They celebrate freedom and blessings from God. Traditional foods are chicken, green bean casserole, and roasted cassavas. Cayenne and other peppers are often added to Liberian Thanksgiving dishes.

Netherlands
For many of the pilgrims, England was just a layover on the way to America. Around 40 percent of the adults on the Mayflower were coming from Leiden in the Netherlands, where they lived and worked from 1609 to 1620. Celebrated on October 3rd, this day of giving thanks commemorates the hospitality that the pilgrims from Leiden received on their way to the New World. American hymns are sung and children dress in traditional pilgrim clothing during church services held on the fourth Thursday of November. Traditional foods include bread and herring.