Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving – Not Just an American Tradition

 Often we tend to think locally when it comes time to celebrate our holidays.  This is especially true of Thanksgiving, annually celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and often considered uniquely American.  We think of Pilgrims, Native Americans, turkey dinners and pumpkin pies.  However, Americans do not hold an exclusive claim on this autumn holiday.  The date and customs vary from nation to nation and culture to culture, but all hold giving thanks as a common feature.

The roots of the Thanksgiving celebration harken back to the days of the pagan harvest celebration.  At a time when people were primarily tribal and agrarian, a bountiful fall harvest helped ensure the group’s survival throughout the long, harsh winter.  Thanks for a successful growing season were given to the fertility gods of ancient times and later to the Christian God as monotheism and Christianity spread across Europe.

Countries all over the globe, from Germany, Japan and Canada all share a tradition of celebrating the gathering of the harvest and the hard work necessary to make a bountiful harvest possible.  In Germany, celebrations are based on the religious holiday of Erntedankfest where a procession of the towns’ people wearing head wreaths made from grain stalks winds through the town to ultimately arrive at the church.  Although turkey is becoming more popular as a main dish, German tradition holds chicken as the star of the celebratory meal.  In Japan, Thanksgiving always falls on November 23 and celebrates the community effort that made the harvest possible.  Canadians have celebrated a form of Thanksgiving since 1578 but in the 1950’s declared November 6 as their day of “Thanksgiving to God”.

Some Caribbean countries share the Thanksgiving tradition as well.  In the West African nation of Liberia, freed American slaves repatriated the African country and brought the Thanksgiving celebration with them.  The Norfolk Islands and Grenada also celebrate a variant of this holiday, generally based on the American traditions.  In much of Asia the celebration is in mid-August in accordance with the lunar calendar.

People worldwide have good reason to pause and give thanks for all we have received, for our lives and those close to our hearts with whom we share it.