The American celebration of Thanksgiving is just days
away. In almost any conversation next
week people will inquire about your plans for celebrating the holiday and ask what foods will be
on the menu. Every family seems to have
a special dish. For one of my friends
it’s a recipe for green Jello mixed with whipped cream. (Jell-O is a brand that has
become the generic name for gelatin dishes.) In my family, the Jello is pink and the recipe is considered brilliant
or odd depending on who you ask.
Thanksgiving often seems as only an American holiday - one
that is concerned mainly with sharing elaborate turkey dinners and
beginning the holiday gift shopping period. It’s history as a harvest
festival, a time to give thanks is often lost in the preparation of the meal
and stress of travel to reach ones family.
Certainly the idea that Thanksgiving takes places in other places is
seldom considered. But around the world,
there are other celebrations.
In Korea the holiday similar to Thanksgiving is Chuseok. It
is also a fall festival but one that lasts three days. It is a time to give thanks to ones ancestors for an abundant harvest. Traveling home, sharing food and drink are an essential parts
of the celebration with a crescent shaped rice cake a traditional dish.
There are also Thanksgivings, harvest festivals, in Canada, Germany and
Grenada. In The Netherlands, Japan and Liberia.
And in the Australian territory of Norfolk Island where the holiday tradition came
via sailors on American whaling ships.
No matter where you are, or what the holiday is called, its
good to take a moment and remember to be thankful for the good things in our
lives, enjoy the foods of the season and of the holiday.
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