While most people think of pumpkin pie, pilgrims and roast turkey, giving thanks for the year’s harvest is a tradition lots of nations celebrate around the world. For those who don’t know much about the traditional US Thanksgiving (taking place on the 4^th Thursday of November each year), here’s the real basic (mainly accurate) story: In the 17^th century, a group of English Pilgrims sailed the famous Mayflower to North America, for a new life. There, they celebrated their first corn harvest by sharing a feast with the friendly Native American tribe, who taught them how to farm the land.

The day is associated with being thankful and charitable while celebrating the Autumn Harvest before the cold Winter sets in. The Americans are not the only people to give thanks;

America vs Canada – Thanksgiving

Aside from the date, Canadian thanksgiving is not too different from their American neighbours. Now, celebrated on the 2^nd Monday of October as the cold weather sets in much earlier over Canada. Similarly, Thanksgiving is still about celebrating the fall harvest and giving thanks for the food it provides to get through the winter. While in modern times, Canadian Thanksgiving dinner has very much appropriated the traditional Thanksgiving meal from America, there are some regional differences. After all, Canada is a large country made up of dozens of cultures with their own culinary influences.

Netherlands (kinda) – Dankdag

‘Dankdag’ in The Netherlands is a religious festivity celebrated by some Orthodox Protestant churches on the 1^st Wednesday in November. While there isn’t much celebration in modern times (other than some restaurants offering a ‘Thanksgiving-style meal’), Holland holds a significant place in the story of the Pilgrims who travelled to the US in 1620 – let me explain.

The Pilgrims were Puritans who rejected the Church of England and at the time, England required its citizens to only practice in (you guessed it) the Church of England. Those who refused, faced harassment, fines, and jail time. The liberal Dutch were more accepting of other religious practices. However, spreading out to live in Leiden and building new lives, the Pilgrims began to lose their religion. They were grateful for everything given to them, but after about a decade, were struggling to adapt to the Dutch culture while keeping their own, and eventually set sail for North America.

Pieterskerk in Leiden holds a non-denominational Thanksgiving Day service every year on the 4^th Thursday of November. The service commemorates the time the Pilgrims spent in Leiden and the service includes a rabbi, Catholic priest, Protestant ministers, and a Cantor. One of the pilgrim leaders, John Robinson, is even buried there, forever commemorating the Dutch brush with the Pilgrims.

Germany – Erntedankfest

Translating to “Harvest Thanksgiving”, Erntedankfest is a religious festivity typically celebrated on the 1^st Sunday in October, per the recommendation of the German Catholic Church. In cities, churches often hold a Thanksgiving service, but the exact date and festivities vary from region to region and mostly held in rural areas. German Thanksgiving celebrations include religious ceremonies where church altars are adorned with seasonal fruits, vegetables and grains, with the altar centrepiece usually a harvest crown made of wheat. Communal gatherings are filled with singing and dancing in traditional clothing and, of course, an abundance of food. Often, parades are held with beautiful floats a vibrant atmosphere.

Japan – Kinro Kansha no Hi

Japanese ‘Thanksgiving’ – “Kinro Kansha no Hi” – actually translates to ‘Labor Thanksgiving Day’ when, in modern times, the hard work of the labourers is celebrated as opposed to the harvest of the year. Unlike the US, it is a quiet national public holiday, not a religious-based holiday and takes place on 23^rd November each year, many families spend the day out, followed by a modest dinner. (Don’t worry they also celebrate Labor Day separately on 1^st May.) Originally, it was an ancient Autumn Harvest Festival from when rice first began to be cultivated in Japan. The reigning Emperor, Tenmu, would hold a ceremony to taste the year’s rice for the first time. It later became more associated with celebrating the hard work of the year so far, but the day was not established as Kinro Kansha no Hi until after World War II to reflect important changes in the Constitution of Japan, especially the expansion of worker’s rights.

China – Gan'en Jie

Gan'en Jie is a day that has blended Chinese and American cultures. They call it literally; 'thanks for grace holiday'. People generally have a Western meal and thank friends, family, workmates, and teachers or bosses and exchange small gifts. Some Chinese Christian churches have adopted Thanksgiving as a special day for giving thanks.

South Korea – Chuseok - also referred to as ‘Hangawi’ signifying the Harvest moon, the largest full moon of the year

Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving Day, is one of Korea’s three major holidays and extends over multiple days. Family members from near and far come together at the head house to share food and stories and to give thanks to their ancestors. Many Koreans visit their hometowns to spend quality time with their family and visit their ancestral graves to tidy the surroundings and pay respects to the deceased with a simple memorial service. For tourists, the holiday also provides a good opportunity to experience traditional culture throughout Korea.