How Do You Celebrate Thanksgiving?

By Isabelle Guthrie | Published November 18, 2023

When it comes to Thanksgiving, families come together and feast over foods like apple and pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and a big, roasted turkey. But what is it like internationally? How do others celebrate it?

In the United States, the very first Thanksgiving dates back to 1621. For others, traditions had started on different dates, but in times even earlier or after ours. 

Not all feast on the roasted turkey and desserts we know, but it is centered around celebration and giving thanks in their own significant traditions. Some don’t celebrate Thanksgiving; instead, they treat it as an ordinary day. 

At Kean University, many diverse students are planning their usual traditions for the holidays.

Nan Liao, an exchange student for one semester and a senior majoring in management science, states that Thanksgiving is not celebrated in China.

“It is a pity that we do not celebrate Thanksgiving in China, and I cannot spend this holiday with my family because I am in the United States,” Liao said.

Liao stated instead of celebrating the holiday in China, they have certain foods she eats during the holiday season.

“In China, it gets colder and colder at the end of November, and we like to eat dumplings and hot soup to keep warm. They will also eat mutton because the Chinese believe that mutton and mutton soup can drive away the cold and nourish the body,” Liao said.

Unfortunately, some students cannot see their families for the holidays and must make other arrangements.

Sofia Veloso, senior business management major and marketing minor at Kean, states what Thanksgiving is like for her and her family, being Portuguese.

“In my family, we call it “Dia de Peru,” which translates to “Turkey Day.” We’ve kind of adapted to some of the “American” traditions, such as roasted turkey, potatoes and gravy, stuffing, and vegetables. We don’t really eat corn, cranberry sauce, or yams,” Veloso stated. 

Although Veloso adapted to traditional American food on Thanksgiving, she also included her cultural foods into the mix. 

“What we’ve adapted into our family is Castanhas (roasted chestnuts), Arroz de púcaro(rice and chorizo cooked in a clay pot and then roasted), Caldo Verde (Callard green soup with chorizo), sometimes instead of mashed potatoes, we have roasted potatoes,” Veloso stated. “Rissois de carne (Portuguese version of empanadas, made with ground beef or sometimes with shrimp), Pasties de nata (custard cups), and Bolos de coco (coconut cupcakes).”

Interestingly, Thanksgiving is called Turkey Day instead. Veloso’s Turkey Day will be filled with unforgettable flavors of her country.

Many cultures have their own unique ways of celebrating Thanksgiving. It is fascinating to see how every holiday is so diverse. 

For example, in Japan, they celebrate Kinrõ Kansha no Hi or “Labor Thanksgiving Day” every Nov. 23. Like Labor Day in the U.S., Kinrõ Kansha no Hi is a public holiday to honor workers in the community, according to Country Living.

They don’t have big meals or parades, but one ofthe most significant events is the Nagano Labour Festival, which encourages discussion on environmental and human rights issues. 

In South India, they host a four-day festival. Southern Indians, the Tamil, are thankful for the Sun god, nature, all animals, and everyone who supports agriculture. Their traditional dish is Ven pongal, which translates to “overflowing.” It consists of milk, ghee, and rice, according to Country Living.

It’s different everywhere, but in the end, we all share the same idea of being grateful for what we have and giving thanks to our loved ones.

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