On Thursday Americans will spend time with family feasting on turkey and mashed potatoes, hearing the cheering of the football game on TV, and most importantly, giving thanks for the food on the table and the blessings the year has bestowed. Since childhood we have learned about the Pilgrims arriving on the Mayflower to Plymouth, Massachusetts and having a feast commemorating the harvest with the Wampanoag Indians in 1621. Due to the advocating of Sarah Josepha Hale, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed in 1863 that Thanksgiving must be a national holiday. Many other countries give thanks for good harvests as well. How do these countries observe this autumn holiday with their unique traditions?

In Canada the entire country besides New Brunswick and Nova Scotia celebrate Thanksgiving as a public holiday. In those places most stores and businesses are closed. Canadians have already had their feast on the second Monday of October.

Grenada, which is located to the northeast of Venezuela, observes this holiday two months before Christmas, on October 25^th.  Yet this day has nothing to do with crescent rolls and cranberry sauce. It marks the day in 1983 when Americans invaded the land and the execution of their prime minister, Maurice Bishop. The constitutional government was reinstated.

On the third Thursday of November, the Netherlands commemorates Thanksgiving during an early church service to recognize the pilgrims who stayed in Leiden during 1609 and 1620. Pieterskerk, known as the church of the Pilgrim Fathers, and the construction of the gothic church began in 1390.

American whaling ships brought the holiday to the Norfolk islands between Australia and New Zealand. They celebrate on the final Wednesday of the month.

Liberia observes this holiday on the first Thursday of November.

All across Africa, the harvest festival includes lively dancing, masks and costumes used to tell stories. The harvest festival is celebrated in August after the rainy season ends.

In March, Australia observes a unique Apple and Grape Harvest Festival. People can smash grapes, stroll around street carnivals and enjoy fireworks in the evening.

Since 1843 The United Kingdom holds its annual Harvest Festival which started when church goers were invited to give thanks for a successful harvest at Cornwall. This occurs on a Sunday in September, coincidentally near the appearance of the Harvest Moon. Although not a nationally recognized holiday, rural people enjoy giving out fruits and vegetables and making objects out of corn.

India also celebrates Thanksgiving, although the major recognition is from Christians in Goa  as Ladin, which  means gratitude to Mary. Altars are traditionally decorated with flowers and candles, wheat, and wine are also incorporated. Another celebration, the Religious Feast, is observed on August 15^th.

  Chu Suk, (fall evening) in Korea, is a three day event to honor ancestors and make offerings of harvested food. Memorial services are held, accompanied by songs to give thanks. Koreans gather by the light of the moon to dance and eat.

The August Moon Festival in China or Women Festival celebrates love. Chinese commonly express their feelings to each other and dine on moon cake.  It is referred to as the Women Festival because typically women are attributed with having the qualities of Mother Nature which they honor.  

Celebrating the victory of taking over Knin by the Croatian Army is called Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day. The main event on August 5^th is the raising of the Croatian flag over the citadel in Knin. Throughout the day church services are held and there is an upbeat parade with music.

After the Ambassador of Brazil came to America, Thanksgiving became incorporated to the country’s traditions. There is a carnival and the focus of the day is to be grateful for a good harvest.

Cerelia is a festival in Rome named after the goddess of corn. Observed on October 4^th, it includes lively parades and sport tournaments.