Talking Turkey

Thanksgiving is an all-American holiday, right? Or is it? It’s a little known fact that America’s 4th of July is formally celebrated outside the United States. So I got to wondering if Thanksgiving is also celebrated outside the U.S. in some fashion greater than a few ex-patriots staying connected to home. What I found is that in a fashion and sentiment similar to our Thanksgiving holiday, there are many other similar holidays around the world. While the names are different, and the dates are not the same, the concept of these celebrations are similar - mainly being thankful for the gifts life has given us, especially a fruitful harvest.

America is probably the most multi-cultural nation on Earth. Every day we take for granted how this has improved our lives. Without all of the immigrants that added to our national identity, we wouldn’t have green beer one day a year! Perhaps one way to celebrate our great diversity would be to learn about these other cultures and how they celebrate Thanksgiving, and then taking a bit of that culture and adding it to the Thanksgiving feast.

Personally, I will never take Chinese food for granted. I love the stuff, and it just so happens China is one of those places that has a Thanksgiving-like celebration of its own. The August Moon Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival is the Chinese celebration of the harvest. Unlike American pumpkin pie, the Chinese serve moon cakes. Want to add a twist to your Thanksgiving? Scratch the pumpkin pie and celebrate America’s diversity by serving moon cakes! (Click here: just one of many recipes online)

The Roman version of thanksgiving might be the second oldest celebration of this type (as the Chinese started about 3000 years ago). The Roman harvest festival known as Cerelia was held in honor of their deity Ceres, the Goddess of Corn. Romans offered the first fruits of the harvest (and a few unfortunate pigs) to their goddess in thanks. The celebration included parades (check, we have that), games (our family has played countess games of 500 after the big meal) and sports (yep, the NFL always has two big games on Turkey Day), and of course a large thanksgiving feast. This is almost like deja vu! While I can't find a recipe for you that is traditional to this event, the Romans always liked wine... I'm just sayin'.

As a final example, I'd like to bring up Korea. Now the Koreans take Thanksgiving to a new level, as they celebrate it for 3 days! I hurt physically after one Thanksgiving meal, I don't want to even think about three days of this. But, I'd like to draw attention to how the Koreans start their celebration. The celebration known as Chu-Sok starts with the family meeting under the moonlight, to remember their ancestors and forefathers. This in fact, is probably the most important thing we forget about our Thanksgiving. Those brave pilgrims started what we have as a nation today. They endured immensely so we could enjoy our lives today. This is a part of the Korean tradition we should remember to incorporate in our Thanksgiving Day. Take a moment to say thanks to all those who came before us, and offered us the riches of our lives today.

One last thing... the Chinese moon cake recipe might have been a teaser. For a few more recipes for the daring or adventurous, click here.