The Meaning of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a holiday that is celebrated mainly in the Western countries, United States and Canada.  For many people, it is a time where family memebers and friends can gather together to give thanks for what they have accomplished within the year or to just express gratitude in general.

Although the date is not exactly known when it first began,  the traditional “first Thanksgiving” was either celebrated in 1619 or 1621.  One reference shows Thanksgiving in 1619, at Berkley Plantation, Virginia on the banks of the James River.  It became a part of the American folklore by the 1800s. The other date was in 1621.  It  happened at Plymouth Plantation where it would later become one of the original thirteen colonies that became the United States.  Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and on the second Monday of October in Canada.

Korea Thanksgiving: Chuseok 

 In the Korean culture, Thanksgiving Day or Chuseok, lies on September 21st-23rd on the Solar calendar.  Chuseok was originally known as Hangawi (from a Korean word meaning “great middle”). Different from the Western cultures, Koreans celebrate it for a period of 3 days and eat Korean tradtional foods instead of eating turkey, as Westerners do. Similar to other cultures, Koreans do gather all members of the family and enjoy their time together.  Many families also spend one of the three days visiting cemetaries to pay respects to their deceased family members. This is called, Jesasang (image below).  One of the major foods prepared and eaten during the Chuseok holiday is songpyeon, a crescent-shaped rice cake which is steamed upon pine needles. Other dishes commonly prepared are japchae, bulgogi and fruits.

Songpyeon:Rice cake

Jesasang, ceremonial table setting on Chuseok

A variety of folk games can be played on Chuseok to celebrate the coming of Autumn and rich harvest. In some places, village folk dress themselves to look like a cow or a turtle, and go from house to house along with a Nongak band playing music. Other common folk games played on Chuseok are tug of war, ssireum, archery and gama fighting. Folk games also differ from region to region. Ganggangsullae dance which is forming a circle under a moon is performed by women and children in southwestern coastal regions, and cockfight or bullfighting in the southern regions.

Ganggangsullae

tug of war

Chuseok is known to have started from “Gabae” during the reign of the third king of the kingdom of Silla (57 BC – AD 935).  Gabae was a month-long weaving contest between two teams.  On the fianl day of Gabae, the team that had woven more cloth had won and was treated to a feast by the losing team. Many scholars also believe Chuseok may started from ancient shamanistic celebrations of the harvest moon. New harvests are offered to local deities and ancestors, which means Chuseok may have originated as a worship ritual. In some areas, if there is no harvest, worship rituals are postponed, or in areas with no annual harvest, Chuseok is not celebrated. 

Thanksgiving in India

Thanksgiving Day in India is celebrated in quite a few parts of India, because of the spread of western culture. It is a major festivity followed by Christians primarily in the state of Goa. The celebration date varies in different parts of Goa, but generally is celebrated on the 15th of August every year where it is popularly known as Ladin or Ladainha. During the Thanksgiving ritual, people thank God for all the material and spiritual benefits they have. The function is sponsored by a different person every year that either has been lucky enough to have God’s special grace or seeks benefits.

Thanksgiving In Germany