Thanksgiving is quickly approaching for those in Canada and the United States. But besides stuffing yourself with turkey and overdosing on gravy, read up on these other thanksgiving and harvest festivals or celebrations all across the world – you’ll have a great icebreaker when you visit your in-laws.
Where Did Thanksgiving Come From?
Modern day celebrations of Thanksgiving in North America began just a few hundred years ago. The first “American” Thanksgiving took place at the Plymouth Plantation in 1621 while the first “Canadian” Thanksgiving took place 1578 in Newfoundland Labrador.
However, celebrations to thank the gods and the earth for the harvest have been taking place for thousands of years, from African tribes to communities in India, families in remote parts of China to farmers in Gloucester.
Read on to find out about other harvest + thanksgiving celebrations and festivals all over the world, how others celebrate, customs, rituals, and more!
Thanksgiving + Harvest Festivals or Celebrations All Over the World
Thanksgiving in Canada is celebrated on the second Monday every October while Thanksgiving in the United States is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. The celebrations take place at the end of the harvest season to “give thanks” for the past season. Families come together to eat Thanksgiving Dinner that often includes an elaborately roasted turkey.
The Harvest Festival is also known as the Harvest Home or Harvest Thanksgiving in Britain and has been celebrated for thousands of years. It is held on a Sunday at the end of the harvest and varies from region to region in Britain. A harvest supper is held by farmers or by churches and is a time to also remember the needy around the world.
Onam has been a major harvest festival observed in India since 800AD. It is celebrated in August/September in Kerala by the Malayali people to honour Mahabali, a mythical king of Kerala from ancient times. Communities and families come together to remember and celebrate their history and the golden age filled with prosperity, justice, and happiness when Mahabali ruled. Gifts are exchanged, families get together, and many visit temples to worship.
The Chinese Moon Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival or Lantern Festival is one of the most widespread harvest festivals in the world, celebrated in Asia and major Chinese communities all over the world. Celebrated over 3,000 years ago, the celebration usually takes place in mid or late September. Families come together to eat moon cake, pomeloes, lighting paper lanterns, pay respect to elders and parades that often include dragon dances.
Chuseok is the major harvest celebration in Korea and is usually celebrated in September. Traditionally, Koreans return to the hometown of their ancestors to take part in the three-day holiday that includes paying respect to ancestors, playing folk games and eating traditional Korean food.
Gawai Dayak or Gawai Day is celebrated in Malaysia on June 1st of every year. It began in 1957 as the idea of a radio producer, Ian Kingsley. The festival celebrates the tradition and culture of the Dayak people in Malaysia. People visit their ancestors to pay respects, give offerings to the gods and thank them for a good harvest. A midnight celebration is thrown where people eat rice cakes, drink rice wine, sing, dance, and wish each other long life, health, and prosperity.
Thai Pongal is a festival celebrated between January 12-15 yearly by Tamils in Tamil Nadu, India, and all over the world. Pongal marks the start of the Tamil month “Thai” and is a celebration to thank the rain, sun and farm animals for the harvest and to shed the old and look towards the future. On this day, rice is boiled with fresh milk and jaggery in new pots, topped with brown sugar, cashews and raisin. The mixture overflows, signifying an abundant and prosperous year to come.
Sukkot or The Feast of Ingathering is one of the oldest festivals celebrated, and is also known as Feast of Booths or Feast of Tabernacles. In the times of ancient Israel, Jews would make a pilgrimage during this time to the Temple in Jerusalem. The festival was made to give thanks for the fruit harvest and for the bounty from nature provided by God. Today, Jews from all over the world celebrate this 7-day holiday, usually taking place in October, with special prayer services, holiday meals, worship, remembrance of 40 years in the desert, and more.
From tripatlas.com/new to you: Cheers and Happy Turkey Day!