In the U.S., the traditional Thanksgiving story tells that it is in commemoration of the 1621 feast that the Plymouth Pilgrims and the Wamoanoag tribe came together to celebrate and share their harvest. See link below to delve deeper into the true, darker history.
Barbados celebrates a three month long festival in the summer after the sugarcane harvest. This celebration brings tourists to the island to promote goodwill and friendship by sharing local culture through street fairs culminating is a grand Carnival as the finale.
Erntedankfest is the three day Germany celebration of harvest and thanksgiving in which churches decorate with fruits if the harvest and sing their thankgiving.
The Mid Autumn Festival is celebrated by China, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapor, Taiwan, and Sri Lanka. The celebrations coincide with the Harvest Moon and sweet moon cakes are a special treat during this time.
Israel's Sukkot, which means Feast of the Tabernacles, is an autumn festival commemorating the exodus from Egypt. It is held in wooden huts or tabernacles. A bread called Challah is eaten during the festival.
Pongal is a four day Hindu harvest festival celebrated by the Tamils in Southern India. The festival starts after the Winter Solstice and is named for the the traditional dish Pongal prepared with new harvest rice boiled in boiling milk. Pongal can be made sweet or savory.
Sharing food from the harvest brings people together in goodwill and friendship. Sounds a lot like the 4-Way Test, right?
To celebrate giving thanks for the harvest this year, why not try some of the recipes below and experience other cultures through their food?
Recipes
Moon Cakes - this American twist on Moon Cakes comes from the website Eat, Little Bird and uses chocolate fudge as the filling! https://
Challah - by Alexandra Stafford https://
Pongal - from Raks Kitchen https://rakskitchen.
The true, dark history of Thanksgiving https://potawatomu.org/blog/