The Kadazan Festival – Malaysia
In Malaysia they celebrate The Kadazan festival which is how they worship the Creator, Bambaazon. They believe that he sacrificed his daughter in order to save the people who would otherwise suffer from great famine. Malaysians believe in the motto “Without rice there is no life.” Apparently Bambaazon had buried parts of his daughter across the land, and her body became the seed of the rice paddy. The Kadazan Festival is filled with rice wine, buffalo races, and agricultural shows. It is a beautiful day of giving thanks to the Creator, Bambaazon.
Erntedankfest – Germany
In Germany, Erntedankfest means Thanksgiving, and it’s religiously dominated so the churches plan and run everything during this day. They celebrate this on the first Sunday of October and both Catholics and Protestants celebrate and attend church services during this thanksgiving celebration. According to the tradition, all harvest must be completed by Michaelmas (the feast of St. Michael, September 29), so the farmers can move on to the winter phase of the cycle. During this day so much happens and it all varies from community to community. Although, there are usually parades and the churches are normally decorated with sheaves of wheat, and the fruits of the harvest. In some communities, people fill baskets with locally sourced produce, including freshly baked bread, and give it to those in need. In rural areas, the Erntedankfest festival is more like a country fair with neighborhood feasts and town parades, with local people dressing up in traditional costume, while in larger cities the celebration is organized by the Church, with fireworks at around 7 at night. Weirdly enough they actually eat foods similar to how we do in the United states. They eat turkey, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, and something called Masthühnchen, which are chickens bred to be fattened up for more meat. Since they are across the world they obviously have different foods from us so there’s really no one meal for this holiday that’s served throughout Germany.
The Netherlands
Did you know the Pilgrims made a pit-stop on their way to Plymouth Rock? A community of Pilgrims spent a period of time in the city of Leiden in the Netherlands. Despite just being a blip on their journey to the new world, many residents in Leiden still celebrate an American Thanksgiving every year. However, the focus here is less on the food. Instead of a meal, residents convene in Pieterskerk, a 900-year-old church, to celebrate the perseverance and good fortunes of the early American settlers.
Dia de Ação de Graças – Brazil
Thanksgiving in Brazil, called Dia de Ação de Graças. The Brazilian ambassador to the U.S. saw Americans enjoying a day of eating delicious food and decided Brazil should do the same. He told then-President Gaspar Dutra of the festivities he observed after a trip in the 1940’s, and since then it’s become an unofficial holiday in the country. Thanksgiving in Brazil is essentially the same, even down to the date of the fourth Thursday in November. Brazilians parade down the street and cap it off with a carnival. A church service giving thanks to the almighty precedes the Carnival-like celebration.
Kinro Kansha no Hi – Japan
Kinro Kansha no Hi is a holiday celebrated in japan in November similar to thanksgiving. This non-religious public holiday is an occasion to not only commemorate the hard work of laborers but also to encourage people to express gratitude to one another. The words “Kinro Kansha no Hi” mean labor thanksgiving day which is actually a modern name for an ancient ritual called Niinamesai as well as more formalized harvest celebrations during the reign of Emperor Seinei.
Thanksgiving – Canada
To differ from the American, Canada decided to have thanksgiving a full month and a half before American Thanksgiving, on the second Monday in October. Canadian Thanksgiving was initially less about celebrating the harvest and more about thanking God for keeping early explorers safe as they ventured into the New World. In Canada, Thanksgiving is a time for families to gather and enjoy a turkey dinner while celebrating the harvest. However, unlike in the United States, relatives tend not to travel as far. This is because the holiday occurs in early October, and the weather is typically mild enough for a Thanksgiving Day hike or vacation. Many Canadians enjoy participating in this tradition before the long winter sets in. Although you might expect hockey to replace traditional Thanksgiving Day football, football is part of the Thanksgiving tradition in Canada, too. Each year, the annual Thanksgiving Day Classic doubleheader is broadcast nationwide, where four teams from the CFL (Canadian Football League) play for Thanksgiving glory!
Vietnam
The Vietnamese celebrate their harvest festival on the 15th day of the eighth month on the lunar calendar. Têt-Trung-Thu Festival, or the Children’s Festival, is said to be held for parents to make amends to their children who may have felt neglected while they were working in the fields
Ghana
One of the largest cultural festivals of its kind in Africa is the version of Thanksgiving in Ghana. The Homowo Festival was started by the Ga after a perilous crossing of Africa in the 16th Century in which they experienced much hardship including famine. The celebration which literally means “hooting at hunger” was started as a harvest feast to celebrate the reaping of their first crops in Ghana.
South Korea
The harvest festival in South Korea is called Chuseok, also known as Hangawi. It’s the biggest traditional holiday in the country lasting for three days. The holiday is held on the 15th day of the eighth month on the lunar calendar. The festival is also a time to give thanks to one’s ancestors.
