"Thanksgiving" Around the World

In just a few days, Americans will spend quality time with friends and family, watch some serious football, and “gobble down” way too much food. It’s time for a celebration of gratitude… and every recipe imaginable for leftover turkey!

While Thanksgiving is considered an American tradition, you might be surprised to learn that several other countries celebrate similar holidays. Their dates, meanings and customs may differ, but they all revolve around the celebration of gratitude.

Erntedankfest- Germany
Germans participate in Erntedankfest, a religious holiday that typically takes place on the first Sunday of October. Ermtedamlfest is a harvest festival that celebrates “a good year and good fortune.” In rural areas the harvest is taken more literally, but cities also hold festivities. Celebrants don an Erntekrone, a harvest crown made of grain, flowers and fruit. The feast favors chickens, hens, geese and castrated roosters.

August Moon Festival-China
The Chinese population celebrates August Moon Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month on the Chinese calendar. The Chinese believe that the moon is roundest and brightest on that day. The holiday is alternatively known as Women Festival, as women are considered similes to the warmth of the moonlight. Gifts of fertility are often shared, including the Chinese moon cake. Friends and relatives convey their love for one another by gifting the delicacy.

Brazilian Thanksgiving
The Ambassador of Brazil created a contemporary version of the traditional U.S. holiday in the 1940s. After visiting the U.S., he fell in love with the concept of the American holiday. Celebrated on the last Thursday of November, Brazilian Thanksgiving begins with a church service to give thanks for the fall harvest and ends with an autumn carnival. The meal served in Brazil is almost identical to the U.S. dinner, including turkey (called “peru”) and cranberry sauce.

Vietnam- Tết Trung Thu Festival
In Vietnam, people celebrate the Tết Trung Thu Festival (Mid-Autumn Festival) in September or early October. This fall celebration is also known as the Children’s Festival. The Vietnamese believe children are symbols of innocence and purity - the closest connection to the sacred and natural world. Children light lanterns and perform lion dances as part of the celebration. This is the second most important holiday tradition in Vietnam! Tet Trung Thu is very much like a combination of the U.S. holidays – Halloween and Thanksgiving; children parade on the streets, while singing and carrying colorful lanterns of different sizes. One of the most popular shapes is a lantern that spins when a candle is inserted, representing the earth circling the sun. Dances, including the traditional Vietnamese dragon dance, are also part of the festivities.

India-Pongal
Pongal is a 4-day festival celebrated January 12th through the 15th, to mark the beginning of the end of the winter season in India. The second day, Surya Pongal, is the most important day of the festival. On this day, people throw their old clothes into the fire, have an oil massage and then wear new clothes, to worship Surya, the sun god. During the festival, cattle are bathed, dressed and served pongal (rice boiled in milk), women of the house perform puja for the prosperity of their brothers, and families decorate their floor with decorative patterns using rice flour.

Barbados: Crop Over
The Crop Over, a traditional harvest festival in Barbados, features singing, dancing, climbing a greased pole, feasting, drinking competitions and calypso music competitions. The celebration starts in June and ends on the first Monday in August. With street parties, craft markets, food tents, Crop Over has evolved into Barbados’ biggest national festival -- similar to Carnival in Brazil and Trinidad.

Israel: Sukkot
Sukkot (Feast of Booths or Feast of Tabernacles) is a biblical holiday celebrated between late September and late October. On this special occasion, Jewish people reflect on how the Israelites felt during their 40 years of travel in the desert after the exodus from slavery in Egypt, as referenced in the Bible. The 7-day tradition includes special prayer services and holiday meals. Structures called “Sukkah”, constructed of natural materials including fruits and vegetables, are an iconic part of this holiday. If you visit Israel during Sukkot, you will see sukkahs built in yards and balconies throughout Israeli neighborhoods.

There are several other countries that observe their own versions of Thanksgiving, with a wide variety of engaging celebrations and traditions.  What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions? Share with us below!