Thanksgiving Around the World
- The Eagle's Eye
- Dec 6, 2018
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 6, 2018
by Jarissa Ortiz-Acosta
Thanksgiving, Turkey Day, or Festival of Plenty: all these names are used for the third Thursday of every November. A day where turkey, ham, potatoes, yams, green beans, and many other like foods are served and enjoyed in the company of others. However, this day is not an internationally celebrated holiday and is almost only celebrated in America. While many Americans take this day as an excuse to feast to their heart’s content, they miss the many other cultures and the way they celebrate the harvest.
The oldest such celebration, that is still practiced today, is the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrated in China. This holiday is held on the 15th of every eighth lunar month and has been celebrated for over 3000 years. It is best known for its mooncakes, a special Chinese pastry stuffed with a sweet filling, usually made of lotus paste. It is centered around togetherness and is very family-oriented; it is a time for families to come together and enjoy each other’s company.
Another like holiday is Pongal, a four-day festival celebrated in India. Unlike Thanksgiving, it is celebrated early in the year to mark the harvest of rice and other such grains. This popular Hindu festival includes singing, dancing, and painting and decorating cattle, gift-giving, and other such festivities. It is comprised of four days, each marking a different action, or festivity to be had. The Boghi Festival comes first and is celebrated in honor of Lord Indra, the god of rain, and the lord of lords. Second comes Thai Pongal, in which a special ritual is performed where milk and rice are boiled together in a ceramic pot. The third is Mattu Pongal, which is a day worshipped in celebration of the cows, where, on this day, cows are painted and decorated. The fourth and final day, Kaanum Pongal, has another ritual where the women of the household put leftover Pongal and other foods out in the name of their brothers to ask for prosperity.
There are much more recent, and quite silly, celebrations: the annual Tübingen Duck Race, which celebrates ducks in the German town of Tübingen. This is celebrated by sending many plastic rubber ducks down the Neckar river. This is not just done for fun, it is also used as a mean to raise funds for charity; further, it is a great way to give back to the community. Many other similar celebrations are done throughout Germany and have helped raise many funds for many charities.
All these holidays are centered around one thing: togetherness. Each celebration shows how important it is for us to be thankful for what we have, to celebrate even the smallest things, and to give back to the community. These holidays show the importance of family and togetherness and help us recognize and appreciate the wonderful things in our lives. In doing so, we allow the world to be a little bit better with every step we take to be closer.
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