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Thanksgiving – a day of gratitude, fall leaves, and stuffed turkey. Like any other holiday, Thanksgiving is filled with traditions and customs that make it distinct. The signs on billboards and store windows turn orange-hued and pumpkins make a comeback after Halloween. Schools go on break, parades line the streets, and dads swing out their bad turkey-themed Dad jokes. And of course, families gather around a table and share what they are thankful for. That is Thanksgiving. Well, it is here at least. Being grateful can look a little different when you venture out of the United States.
The fact that Japan celebrates Christmas with KFC is rather well known by now, but their Thanksgiving celebrations aren’t as much. Following the end of World War 2, the Japanese government revamped one of their holidays dating as far back as 660 BC, Niinamesai. The ancient holiday was dedicated to the work and harvest reaped through the year, and to the spirits for allowing the good harvest. The American occupation of Japan led to many native Japanese holidays getting scrapped from the calendar, and Niinamesai was no different. The customs stayed and so did the date (November 23rd) but the name was changed to Kinrokansha no Hi, or Day of Labor Thanksgiving. In lieu of big feasts, Japanese schoolchildren pen thank-you-letters to civil servants to show appreciation. That includes the police, firefighters, hospital workers, and teachers too.
Germany has its own harvest festival for Thanksgiving. Erntedankfest is celebrated in Germany and some other European countries to give thanks for the harvest, and they too have become fond of the turkey as the staple Thanksgiving food. Though traditionally, feasts would consist of a stuffed goose or chicken. Erntedankfest also hosts parades and music, both in smaller towns and in larger cities. The festival is less secular in Germany than in the States and is often led by Protestant or Catholic churches, and at the end of every procession, a Harvest Queen is crowned. Thanksgiving in the US is celebrated nationwide, but Erntedankfest is typically observed by either small-town residents or those who attend church, not that it makes it any less special!
No matter the traditions or customs, the fall season brings light to all that we have to be grateful for, all around the world. Maybe next year you can write your own letter to Vestavia’s civil servants and be Harvest Queen, or you could stick to mashed potatoes and cranberry pie. Regardless, Happy Thanksgiving!
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