Turkey Day!
Here in the States, we go nuts about Thanksgiving. And by we, I mean “I.” Accompanied by the usual thoughts of turkey, family, (of course) giving thanks, and napping from 4pm to 7pm, Thanksgiving is a holiday which is near and dear to our hearts.
But what about the rest of the world? It turns out that Thanksgiving as we know it isn’t celebrated elsewhere.
Take our neighbor to north, for instance. In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated the second Monday of October every year. The idea is mostly the same, but the origin goes back to 1578, when Martin Frobisher held a celebration after returning home to Newfoundland following his search for the Northwest Passage. Not what you expected?
There are Thanksgiving festivals literally all around the world, and while they may not be related in any way, shape, or form to the pilgrims and corn stalks we all grew up hearing about, places like Croatia, Ghana, China, and India all have something similar anywhere from August to January in celebration of significant events or harvest seasons. Maybe there’s something in the air…?
So whether you’re eating corn in Vermont, yams in Nigeria, Moon Cakes in China, or participating in any other number of celebrations this season, just be thankful!
Do you have any interesting Thanksgiving celebrations you’d like to share?
