Thanksgiving World
By Amy Leong
Other Titles:
A Harmonic Holiday
Other Versions into what is Our Thanksgiving Feast
Turkey, Pumpkin Pie, Mashed potatoes, what’s next?
A Taste of Other Cultures’ “Thanksgiving”
A large delicious turkey is set down before you, filled with stuffing, decorated with seasoning, and dripping with butter. While you yearn for the food that sits before your eyes, more mouth-watering dishes are placed on the dining table, which, of course is overly decorated with festive candles, placemats, napkins, and last but not least, the scrumptious food.
Here in America, we have all these exciting holidays, but Thanksgiving is one of the most appetizing. Thanks to the pilgrims in 1621, we get to celebrate harvest in the new land, or in this case, basically, stuffing our faces with some delicious foods that only come around once a year. We can also thank Abraham Lincoln for proclaiming this as a national holiday as well as the colonists who brought these traditions from England.
However, aside from the food, Thanksgiving also symbolizes peace and unity, like how the Pilgrims and Native Americans who were once enemies began to work together. Though this harmonic tradition started in America, other countries have their own version into what is our Thanksgiving feast. In some way, form or idea, other cultures are celebrating this around the world, whether it fall on a different date, or follow the traditions of other countries.
The first one that comes to mind is America’s friendly neighbor, also known as Canada, which celebrated their first Thanksgiving in 1578 from explorer Martin Frobisher. Thanks to Frobisher’s discovery of the new land, this has been an annual event, celebrated on the second Monday in October that lasts for about a whole three days. Similarly, Canada also celebrates Thanksgiving in the same way as we do in America, with all those appetizing meals, like the pumpkin pie, turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes and so much more.
However, what about a country that falls somewhere farther than our own borders, perhaps a country like China. Similarly to Canada, it also follows a three day long festival. Otherwise known as 'Chung Ch'ui,' it celebrates the day of the full moon on the eighth month of the Chinese calendar. Believed to be the birthday of the moon, the festival is filled with moon cakes, a small, round Chinese pastry that is usually decorated with rabbits. In addition, their feast includes roasted pigs and fresh fruit, some of the most popular traditional foods for this holiday. According to thanksgivingworld.com, there is also a legend that is you see flowers falling from the moon; you will be blessed with good fortune.
Surprisingly all this Thanksgiving spirit was spread all the way to Egypt, where they celebrate the spring harvest festival. Dedicated to Min, the god of vegetation and fertility, it is commemorated with a parade headed by the pharaoh, a gala feast, music, dancing, and sports.
Heading northeast in the same direction as Egypt, follows the country Israel. They celebrate Succoth, also known as Feast of the Tabernacles, a seven day Jewish holiday that embraces the word succoth or succah, meaning booth or hut, which recalls the makeshift shelters used by the Hebrews as they fled Egypt. During this holiday, they also hold a special ceremony to thank the gods for their crops and hold festivities to celebrate.
Now that you have had a taste of how some of the other cultures celebrate Thanksgiving, when this holiday comes around, wherever you are, whether you are having turkey, pumpkin pie, roasted pig, or moon cakes, we are all connected because throughout every culture we are all striving to be extra thankful by making this holiday the most harmonic and integral to the world.
By Amy Leong
Other Titles:
A Harmonic Holiday
Other Versions into what is Our Thanksgiving Feast
Turkey, Pumpkin Pie, Mashed potatoes, what’s next?
A Taste of Other Cultures’ “Thanksgiving”
A large delicious turkey is set down before you, filled with stuffing, decorated with seasoning, and dripping with butter. While you yearn for the food that sits before your eyes, more mouth-watering dishes are placed on the dining table, which, of course is overly decorated with festive candles, placemats, napkins, and last but not least, the scrumptious food.
Here in America, we have all these exciting holidays, but Thanksgiving is one of the most appetizing. Thanks to the pilgrims in 1621, we get to celebrate harvest in the new land, or in this case, basically, stuffing our faces with some delicious foods that only come around once a year. We can also thank Abraham Lincoln for proclaiming this as a national holiday as well as the colonists who brought these traditions from England.
However, aside from the food, Thanksgiving also symbolizes peace and unity, like how the Pilgrims and Native Americans who were once enemies began to work together. Though this harmonic tradition started in America, other countries have their own version into what is our Thanksgiving feast. In some way, form or idea, other cultures are celebrating this around the world, whether it fall on a different date, or follow the traditions of other countries.
The first one that comes to mind is America’s friendly neighbor, also known as Canada, which celebrated their first Thanksgiving in 1578 from explorer Martin Frobisher. Thanks to Frobisher’s discovery of the new land, this has been an annual event, celebrated on the second Monday in October that lasts for about a whole three days. Similarly, Canada also celebrates Thanksgiving in the same way as we do in America, with all those appetizing meals, like the pumpkin pie, turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes and so much more.
However, what about a country that falls somewhere farther than our own borders, perhaps a country like China. Similarly to Canada, it also follows a three day long festival. Otherwise known as 'Chung Ch'ui,' it celebrates the day of the full moon on the eighth month of the Chinese calendar. Believed to be the birthday of the moon, the festival is filled with moon cakes, a small, round Chinese pastry that is usually decorated with rabbits. In addition, their feast includes roasted pigs and fresh fruit, some of the most popular traditional foods for this holiday. According to thanksgivingworld.com, there is also a legend that is you see flowers falling from the moon; you will be blessed with good fortune.
Surprisingly all this Thanksgiving spirit was spread all the way to Egypt, where they celebrate the spring harvest festival. Dedicated to Min, the god of vegetation and fertility, it is commemorated with a parade headed by the pharaoh, a gala feast, music, dancing, and sports.
Heading northeast in the same direction as Egypt, follows the country Israel. They celebrate Succoth, also known as Feast of the Tabernacles, a seven day Jewish holiday that embraces the word succoth or succah, meaning booth or hut, which recalls the makeshift shelters used by the Hebrews as they fled Egypt. During this holiday, they also hold a special ceremony to thank the gods for their crops and hold festivities to celebrate.
Now that you have had a taste of how some of the other cultures celebrate Thanksgiving, when this holiday comes around, wherever you are, whether you are having turkey, pumpkin pie, roasted pig, or moon cakes, we are all connected because throughout every culture we are all striving to be extra thankful by making this holiday the most harmonic and integral to the world.