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Celebrated primarily in North America, Thanksgiving Day is just what it sounds – A day to give thanks.
Originally a religious and cultural tradition, Thanksgiving has now become renowned as a festive holiday to appreciate and give thanks for all the joys of the past year. Many countries around the world celebrate ‘thanksgiving’, adding their own little touch!
For example, in the US, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November and is now what many Americans think of as the start of the ‘holiday season’. Historically, this holiday was to give thanks for the blessing of the past year, primarily the harvest. Nowadays, Thanksgiving dinners are a time for families to come together to enjoy each other’s company. Let’s not forget one of the most well-known delights for American’s during Thanksgiving: roasted turkey and pumpkin pie!
Similarly, Canadian Thanksgiving is also historically a holiday for thanking the past year’s harvest. Although there is the same variety of food served at a Thanksgiving dinner, Canadian Thanksgiving falls earlier in the year – on the second Monday of October.
Here in China, there is no fixed holiday for Thanksgiving like in the US and Canada. While there are similar holidays around this time of the year, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, to give thanks and gather with family and friends, the ‘Thanksgiving Holiday’ that many western countries know is not seen here in China, as well as in many other Asian countries. In addition, Thanksgiving is generally thought of as a Christian-related holiday, and therefore in Asian countries, where the predominant religion is Buddhism, Thanksgiving is not celebrated.
In South Korea, this holiday is celebrated within the Christian families, however still isn’t as well recognised as it is in the United States; there are not many [Christian] people that celebrate Thanksgiving. Although it isn’t called Thanksgiving, in Korea there is a 3-day holiday called ‘Chuseok’ – a harvest festival held around the autumn equinox. This celebration is similar to Thanksgiving; however, the differences are both in the type of food served as well as its origin.
The word ‘Thanksgiving’ surely has its closest connotation to the American idea of roast turkey, cranberry sauce and a large family gathering, and while this idea is not necessarily portrayed the same in other countries and cultures, there can be seen similar holidays, even during the same time period. There are so many ways and traditions seen around the world to express the same idea and I think you can agree with me that regardless of how you celebrate it, ‘Thanksgiving’ is an important holiday!
Coming from an Italian background, I had never realised the importance of Thanksgiving until I joined an international school. Regardless of how this ‘idea’ may be celebrated back in your hometown or culture, take a moment this Thanksgiving break to thank those around you!
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