From Korea to Ghana, discover the countries with similar holidays to Thanksgiving – and exactly how they celebrate
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Each year, around 91 per cent of the US’s millions-stong population celebrates Thanksgiving, the seasonal festival that began in 1621. Across the world, there are similar holidays, where individuals gather together to celebrate and give thanks in traditions dating back hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
As the US’s Thanksgiving is celebrated this week, we delve into some other holidays similar to Thanksgiving. Where are they celebrated, and what traditions do they involve?
1) Erntedankfest, Germany
Translating to ‘harvest thanks festival’, Erntedankfest has been celebrated for hundreds of years, originating from farmers expressing their gratitude for good fortune and plentiful harvests – similar in origin to the US’s Thanksgiving.
Celebrations for Erntedankfest are typically held on the first Sunday of October, and are mainly celebrated by rural communities although larger cities also take part too by hosting church services. In the evening, laternenumzüge or ‘lantern parades’ take place.
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The festival has religious elements, and is often endorsed by Christian and Protestant churches alike.
Erntedankfest is not just exclusive to Germany, despite being founded there – with German-speaking countries such as Austria and Switzerland celebrating the holiday too.
2) Homowo, Ghana
Celebrated by towns in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, Homowo’s roots come from a period of hunger and famine due to a lack of seasonal rains to grow crops. When rains eventually arrived in the region, people began to celebrate – and hence the existence of Homowo today. The festivities of Homowo usually begin in August, but can occur in September too.
Its name stems from two words – homo meaning hunger and owo meaning to hoot at: together expressing the joyous celebrations – and the ‘hooting at hunger’ – that occurred once the famine stopped.
Before the festival, a month-long ban on drumming and noise-making is enforced in the areas which celebrate Homowo, as a means to foster tranquility and dedicate time to fasting and prayers for good rainfall.
Once the festival has begun – which usually starts with the planting of maize, used for food during Homowo – then celebrations are in full swing. Chanting, singing, traditional dancing and face painting all occur in the streets.
3) Pongal, India
Held over a three-day period, Pongal is a Hindu festival celebrated on the winter solstice – usually in mid-January – and is dedicated to the religion’s Sun God, Surya. The name of the festival originates from the Tamil verb ‘to boil’, as during Pongal, rice is boiled in milk before being offered to the gods, cows and family members.
It is celebrated to give thanks to nature, the sun – viewed as the source of life – as well as animals which contribute to a plentiful and successful harvest. During the festival, cows’ horns are painted and they are often dressed with flowers and fruit, and allowed to graze freely.
Pongal originates back to the Sangam Age, a period from around 200BC to 300AD in south India.
4) Chuseok, Korea
Also known as Korean Thanksgiving Day, Chuseok is celebrated in Korea across a three-day period, beginning on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Lunar calendar.
The festival marks a period for which families gather to celebrate and give thanks to their ancestors, and dates back 2,000 years ago to the Silla kingdom. A traditional rite – known as charye – is performed as part of Chuseok to respect ancestors, which involves food and wine offerings as well as rituals involving ancestral tablets
During the festival, gifts are exchanged not only between friends and family, but to business acquaintances too. Spam, a popular foodstuff in Korea, is often gifted during the holiday.
Another tradition involved in Chuseok is the making – and eating – of songpyeon, rice cakes filled with sesame seeds, chestnuts, red beans or similar ingredients, which are then steamed on top of pine needles to mimic an autumnal scent.
5) Kinrō Kansha no Hi, Japan
Japan’s Kinrō Kansha no Hi (Labour Thanksgiving Day) originates from an ancient rice harvest festival dating all the way back to the seventh century BCE and is celebrated each year on 23 November.
Whereas the US’s Thanksgiving is characterised by large gatherings and feasts, Japan’s Kinrō Kansha no Hi instead celebrates the rights of Japanese workers, after the modern iteration of the holiday began in 1948, several years after the end of World War II.
Labour organisations in the country lead events encouraging citizens to celebrate community involvement, and children often create thank-you cards for public service employees such as firefighters and those in the police force.
