Giving Thanks Around the World

Thanksgiving is a well known and beloved holiday that Americans all across the United States celebrate every November 28th. The Thanksgiving we know and love was born in 1621 when the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared crops and held a feast. This spirit of giving thanks sparked the beginning of a holiday that would be celebrated in the United States for centuries to come. Although many people don’t think about it, there are also other variations of the beloved holiday in many different countries. 

Canada, our northern neighbor, has their own sort of Thanksgiving celebration every second Monday of October. The Canadian Thanksgiving, which actually predates our own by 40 years, was started by the English navigator Martin Frobisher when he hosted a celebration giving thanks for the safe arrival and journey of his fleet. Canada’s Thanksgiving traditions are very similar to our own in the United States seeing as they eat turkey, watch football, and relax with family.

Photo courtesy of WordPress.com

Along with Canada, Germany also has their own holiday of giving thanks. Germany’s very own Erntedankfest, or harvest festival of thanks, is a religious holiday that occurs on the first Sunday of October. The German people in more rural areas of Germany hold parades to celebrate while within cities the churches play a big role in the proceedings of the celebration. People will carry an Erntekrone, or harvest crown, full of food and flowers to the churches in a melancholy march and then feast on chickens, roosters and other German dishes. 

Photo courtesy of google.com

The Japanese holiday Kinro Kansha no Hi, or Labor Thanksgiving Day, is on November 23rd and developed from a rice harvest festival that dates back as far as the seventh century A.D. But in 1948, the traditions of the celebration shifted to celebrate the rights of Japanese workers. Instead of feasting on huge meals, the Japanese hold events that encourage the celebration of the principles of hard work and involvement in the community. It’s also a common practice for the Japanese children to make thank-you cards for firefighters, policemen, and other such working class men and women. 

Photo courtesy of google.com

It’s amazing to see the spirit of Thanksgiving in so many countries besides our own, people all around the world giving thanks.