Thanksgiving Day is a holiday that is identical to several cultures around the world. In the United States of America for instance, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November and the tradition has gone on for nearly 400 years now.
In this list, we will take a look at ten other countries with special times of the year for giving thanks.
1 Kadazan Harvest Festival – Malaysia
The Kadazan people started celebrating harvest festivals in the 1950s to promote identification with their rice farming background. Rice is a main food in the Kadazan diet; they believe a spirit called a ‘Bambaazon’ is present in each grain of rice. The festival is a time to give thanks to ‘Bambaazon’ for the previous year’s rice harvest.
2. Erntedankfest – Germany
Germany celebrates Erntedankfest on the first Sunday of October. It translates to “thanks for the harvest festival.” Erntedankfest is a way to thank God for the gifts of the harvest. Both the Catholic and Protestant churches mark it on their calendar, decorating altars with wheat and fruits.
3. Sukkot – Israel
A weeklong Jewish holiday that starts five days after Yom Kippur, Sukkot celebrates not only the harvest gathering, but the protection God gave the children of Israel when they left Egypt.
4. Pongol – India
Celebrated in South India, Pongol takes place in mid-January and lasts four days. Its name translates to ‘spilling over’ and has been named as such due to a tradition of letting a boiling pot of rice overflow.
5. Harvest Moon Festival – China
The Harvest Moon Festival, or Mid-Autumn Festival, became an official celebration in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). For thousands of years, it has been a time for families and communities to come together and feast to give thanks for the harvest of crops.
The Harvest Moon Festival today is a time for family gathering, a chance for the “people and the moon to reunite and form a full circle.” Mooncakes are as synonymous with The Harvest Moon Festival as turkey is with American Thanksgiving.
6. Kinro Kansha no Hi (Labour Thanksgiving Day) – Japan
Since 1948, Japan has officially observed Labour Thanksgiving on November 23rd. Today, Labor Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful to workers and for their production.
Young schoolchildren make cards and gifts for municipal workers. It is also a time to connect with family and friends, enjoying good food and company.
7. Thanksgiving – Grenada
Grenada has only been officially celebrating their Thanksgiving since 1983. Today, they use their Thanksgiving as a chance to spend time with family, remember Grenadians who are gone, and pay homage to their service in the interest of nation-building.
8. Crop Over Festival – Barbados
Tracing back to the late 18th century, the Crop Over Festival comes from a time when Barbados was one of the largest producers of sugar in the world.
The festival celebrated a successful sugar cane harvest. Eventually, the sugar industry in Barbados waned, and the festival along with it. In the 1940s, it was eliminated altogether. Happily, the festival was brought back in 1974.
9. Homowo – Ghana
The Homowo Festival is a month-long celebration by the Ga people of the Greater Accra area in Ghana. It is a celebration of the harvest starting in May.
The festival kicks off with the planting of maize. During the entire month of celebration, city officials enforce a ban on all loud music and noise.) Homowo is closely translated as ‘hoot at hunger’. Loudly denouncing hunger is encouraged.
Families get together to resolve issues and disputes. They consume Kpokpoi a special meal made from maize and served with palm nut soup. A drink is poured for the spirits and ancestors while hooting at hunger continues.
10. Thanksgiving – The Netherlands
The most closely related to American Thanksgiving on the list, The Netherlands celebrates the holiday with respect to the Pilgrims who resided there before leaving for the New World. The city of Leiden uses Thanksgiving as a time to reconnect with the Pilgrim forefathers.
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