Different Thanksgiving Traditions Around The World
How do you celebrate Thanksgiving? If you're like most Americans, you and your family probably gather around the dinner table and enjoy a feast of turkey, green bean casserole, cornbread stuffing, yams, cranberry sauce, and countless other delicious dishes - but have you ever wondered how people celebrate Thanksgiving in other cultures?
Many of us think of Thanksgiving as a holiday that is only celebrated in America, but the truth is that many other countries and cultures have some sort of custom designed to celebrate the harvest and give thanks for another plentiful year. In honor of Thanksgiving, the team at the Law Offices of Phillips, McElyea, Carpenter, & Welch, P.C. is here to explore with you some of these different traditions from around the world.
Ancient Rome
Some people are surprised to learn that ancient Rome was actually the birthplace of many modern Thanksgiving traditions. Just like today's American Thanksgiving, the ancient Roman celebration included sports, games, music, parades, and a feast.
Ancient Greece
The way they celebrated the fall harvest in ancient Greece also shared many similarities with our modern Thanksgiving. In fact, the cornucopia (one of America's prominent Thanksgiving symbols) originated with the ancient Greeks. According to Greek mythology, the cornucopia (literally translated to "horn of plenty") is a magical goat's horn that produces endless bounty.
Ancient Egypt
Since the harvest season fell at a different time of year in ancient Egypt, the "Thanksgiving" celebrations in ancient Egypt were actually held in the springtime. They celebrated with a big feast, sports, music, dancing, and a parade which the Pharaoh himself took part in.
Jewish Culture
The traditional Jewish culture has a harvest celebration that actually lasts for seven days, called "Sukkot." A "sukkot" is a small hut made of branches, and families observe this festival by building a sukkot and eating their meals within this hut for all seven days. As with many other harvest celebrations, parades, sports, and other festivities are all frequently a part of this Jewish celebration.
Ancient Chinese
The ancient Chinese harvest celebrations were very closely focused on the moon. Their harvest celebrations were held on the day of the moon's birthday (the fifteenth day of the eighth month), when they believed that flowers fell from the moon. According to tradition, anyone who was lucky enough to see these flowers would be blessed with good luck in the coming year. The traditional meal that accompanied this festival included roast pig, harvested fruits, and "moon cakes" (round, yellow cakes that resembled the moon).
Happy Thanksgiving!
No matter how you choose to celebrate this wonderful holiday, all of us at our private law firm in Camdenton, MO hope you and your family have a fantastic holiday! Should you ever find yourself in need of legal counsel, we hope you will remember the team at our Lake of the Ozarks general practice law firm.
The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertising. When you need a knowledgeable attorney, we invite you to contact us to set up a consultation. Evening and weekend appointments are available. We have access to interpreters.
Many of us think of Thanksgiving as a holiday that is only celebrated in America, but the truth is that many other countries and cultures have some sort of custom designed to celebrate the harvest and give thanks for another plentiful year. In honor of Thanksgiving, the team at the Law Offices of Phillips, McElyea, Carpenter, & Welch, P.C. is here to explore with you some of these different traditions from around the world.
Ancient Rome
Some people are surprised to learn that ancient Rome was actually the birthplace of many modern Thanksgiving traditions. Just like today's American Thanksgiving, the ancient Roman celebration included sports, games, music, parades, and a feast.
Ancient Greece
The way they celebrated the fall harvest in ancient Greece also shared many similarities with our modern Thanksgiving. In fact, the cornucopia (one of America's prominent Thanksgiving symbols) originated with the ancient Greeks. According to Greek mythology, the cornucopia (literally translated to "horn of plenty") is a magical goat's horn that produces endless bounty.
Since the harvest season fell at a different time of year in ancient Egypt, the "Thanksgiving" celebrations in ancient Egypt were actually held in the springtime. They celebrated with a big feast, sports, music, dancing, and a parade which the Pharaoh himself took part in.
Jewish Culture
The traditional Jewish culture has a harvest celebration that actually lasts for seven days, called "Sukkot." A "sukkot" is a small hut made of branches, and families observe this festival by building a sukkot and eating their meals within this hut for all seven days. As with many other harvest celebrations, parades, sports, and other festivities are all frequently a part of this Jewish celebration.
Ancient Chinese
The ancient Chinese harvest celebrations were very closely focused on the moon. Their harvest celebrations were held on the day of the moon's birthday (the fifteenth day of the eighth month), when they believed that flowers fell from the moon. According to tradition, anyone who was lucky enough to see these flowers would be blessed with good luck in the coming year. The traditional meal that accompanied this festival included roast pig, harvested fruits, and "moon cakes" (round, yellow cakes that resembled the moon).
Happy Thanksgiving!
No matter how you choose to celebrate this wonderful holiday, all of us at our private law firm in Camdenton, MO hope you and your family have a fantastic holiday! Should you ever find yourself in need of legal counsel, we hope you will remember the team at our Lake of the Ozarks general practice law firm.
Law Offices of Phillips, McElyea, Carpenter, & Welch, P.C.
The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertising. When you need a knowledgeable attorney, we invite you to contact us to set up a consultation. Evening and weekend appointments are available. We have access to interpreters.
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