Teach Kids About Thanksgiving Around the World

Have you ever wondered how people celebrate Thanksgiving around the world? Or better yet, are there other countries that celebrate it and if yes, which ones? Kids are curious and you should have the answers.

Most people know Thanksgiving as a uniquely American holiday, and while this is true, many cultures around the world have holidays through which they celebrate the harvest, the blessings of the year, and honoring gratefulness – the true meaning behind Thanksgiving. 

If we talk about Thanksgiving as a holiday that transcends the turkey, long football matches, and long-time-no-see relatives, then we can definitely make parallels between many nations around the world that have similar traditions – unique, yet all celebrating the concept of gratitude together. 

Here are ten different nations that designated a day to say thanks. Read about them all and prepare an entertaining lesson plan to teach kids about Thanksgiving around the world.  

Is Thanksgiving Celebrated Around the World?

We already touched on this question in the introduction, but let’s break it down in a little more detail. 

If you’re thinking about Thanksgiving in the exact shape and form as you would see it in a typical American home, then America stands alone (with the exception of Canada and some parts of Britain – which will discuss below). However, if we were to draw parallels regarding the meaning of Thanksgiving, as a day of giving thanks, then you’ll be surprised at how diverse, yet categorically similar the manner in which many nations celebrate the concept of Thanksgiving across the world. 

If you want to learn more about how to teach kids the history and meaning of Thanksgiving in general, we would recommend following the link before diving into this topic. This and the linked article will give you a nice round-up of everything you need to create a memorable unit on one of the most important holidays in our country. 

For now, let’s take a look at how Thanksgiving is celebrated around the world.

Thanksgiving Traditions Around the World 

One of the best ways for children to develop empathy is through lessons that teach them about the similarities between them and the rest of the world. Regardless of how different we look or behave, learning about Thanksgiving traditions around the world will give them an all-embracing societal mindset through which they’ll learn to value all people equally and see differences positively.

For these reasons, here are the Thanksgiving traditions of 10 different countries, plus Britain, which doesn’t really celebrate the holiday officially, although many Britons do. 

Grenada

The celebrations of Thanksgiving in Grenada are probably the closest thing to an American Thanksgiving since they’re directly related to American history. Here’s how everything went down. 

In 1983, the US and the Caribbean Island’s forces invaded Grenada in an attempt to stop a communist takeover and restore order after the country’s leader, Maurice Bishop, was executed. 

During this invasion, which was successful, the people of Grenada were immensely grateful and got close to the American soldiers. In their interactions, the American soldiers frequently expressed their longing for Thanksgiving, an annual holiday that was being celebrated in America while they’re on a mission there – in Grenada. So, as a way to show their gratitude, the local citizens began inviting the American soldiers into their home to dine, serving American food such as turkey, cranberry, and potatoes. This tradition stuck long after the soldiers went back home to America. 

Today, the people of Granada celebrate Thanksgiving on October 25 (the anniversary of the invasion) every year as a remembrance day of the US-led invasion of Grenada.

Canada

Thanksgiving day is also celebrated in Canada every year on the second Monday in October, where Canadians give thanks to the harvest and other blessings of the year that passed. 

The roots of the Canadian Thanksgiving can be traced back to November 6, 1879, when the holiday was officially recognized. However, the exact date was probably set much later on January 31, 1957, when Vincent Massey (governor of Canada at that time) proclaimed: “A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed – to be observed on the second Monday in October.”

As to how exactly the holiday migrated to Canada, historians explain that this is most likely related to the American Revolution and the independence of the United States. That is, people that remained loyal to Great Britain after the independence of the United States migrated to Canada, bringing with them the customs and traditions of the American Thanksgiving. 

This is why there are a lot of similarities between the two holidays. Canadians also gather with their friends and family to eat turkey dinner, mashed potatoes, gravy, pumpkin pie, and so on. 

Japan

Of course, Japan doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving as we know it in America, but it does observe an annual holiday with a similar concept around the same time as the American Thanksgiving. 

On November 23, Japan celebrates the national holiday of Kinro Kansha no Hi, also known as Labor Thanksgiving Day. Japan’s variant of Thanksgiving began in 1948 as a celebration of workers’ rights after World War II ended. However, its roots can be traced back to the seventh century when people held a festival right after the rice harvests. The name remained ever since, but the modern national holiday has little to nothing to do with feasts and family gatherings. 

Labor Thanksgiving Day in Japan is usually celebrated by organized labor events where people honor and are reminded of the principles of hard work and community involvement. 

The youngest generations usually make thank-you cards for the people who work in the health department, police, or municipal service.  

China

Just like many nations around the world, the Chinese too have a harvest festival that falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar cycle of the year. It’s called the “Chung Chiu” Moon Festival and it’s celebrated by gatherings with family and participating in a three-day feast, part of it being the mooncake as the traditional dish for this holiday. 

Other traditions associated with the Moon Festival involve watching the full moon, singing songs, or reciting poetry. As you might have noticed, the whole setting of watching the full moon and reciting poetry is quite romantic, which is why this holiday is very popular among young couples. 

It’s also worth mentioning that a lot of people in China are starting to embrace the typical American tradition where they organize a large meal and gather with close friends or families to say their thanks for all the good things in the past year.  

Vietnam

What we identified as the Vietnamese Thanksgiving is actually a mid-autumn festival called Tết Trung Thu Festival which is the second most popular celebration in Vietnam. The holiday honors the harvest and family. 

Just like the Moon Festival in China, the Vietnamese observe the Tết Trung Thu Festival on the 15th day of the eighth lunar cycle of the year. This usually falls around the autumn equinox, which is mid-September or early October. 

The origins and history of the holiday have a very heartwarming and interesting story. Some sources say that the Tết Trung Thu Festival came about as a way for parents to make up for lost time with their children during the harvest season. Once the harvest was over, the parents wanted to do something special with their children and celebrate after spending so much time working on the fields. This is how the Tết Trung Thu Festival emerged and is now a celebration that resembles a combination between our Halloween and Thanksgiving. 

Children usually parade the streets singing, dancing, and holding colorful lanterns in different shapes and sizes. The underlying message behind this holiday is a promotion of education, creativity, art, and everything else that advanced the children’s development and well-being. 

Germany 

When trying to find Thanksgiving celebrations around the world, we have to make a stop in Germany, where an autumn harvest festival called Erntedank or Erntedankfest (“harvest thanksgiving festival”) is celebrated across the country on many different dates from September to October.

According to some sources, rural parts of Austria and Switzerland (where the German language is spoken) also celebrate Erntedankfest – the equivalent of Thanksgiving in America. 

In Germany in particular, the holiday most often falls on the first Sunday in October, although this is not followed uniformly. The differences between different areas in Germany are also evident in the way they celebrate this holiday. 

Rural areas observe Erntedankfest with parades, music, food, and a country fair vibe in general. On the other hand, in larger cities, the observance starts in the church where sermon and choral singing are performed. After this, there’s a thanksgiving procession that ends when the harvest queen gets a crown. Once these customs are done, people enjoy their day with friends and family, as well as good food and music. 

In some places, there’s a lantern parade and fireworks for the children in the evening.   

Netherlands

The Thanksgiving-like holiday in the Netherlands is also directly connected with the American Thanksgiving through the Pilgrims. 

The Pilgrims were English settlers who migrated to North America on the Mayflower, so they can practice their religion freely. Actually, the word pilgrim refers to a traveler who’s on a journey to a special place, while a pilgrimage is a journey into an unknown or foreign place. 

However, when we say the Pilgrims, we mean the English families who fled religious persecution in England in 1620. Their journey ended when they established the Plymouth Colony in today’s Massachusetts. But, before reaching the New World, the Pilgrims spent some time working in Leiden (1609 to 1620) – something that’s often left out when we tell the history of Thanksgiving. 

The significance of this detour is that some people believe that it was there when the Pilgrims started the very first celebrations that later evolved into today’s Thanksgiving. 

Today, Thanksgiving in the Netherlands is not celebrated the same way as in America, but they still hold non-denominational church services every year on the fourth Thursday of November.

Liberia

Just like other countries that began their Thanksgiving celebrations after having contact with Americans or the American customs, Liberia, too, has a story to tell. 

Freed slaves from the United States established Liberia in the early 1820s with the help of the American Colonization Society. The American Colonization Society wanted to spread Christianity which is why it helped the freed slaves to establish the country. 

At first, the celebrations took an unofficial form, but soon after, in the 1880s, Liberia’s government proclaimed the first Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day. Today, Liberians celebrate Thanksgiving as a way of showing gratitude for their freedom and country. 

To commemorate the holiday, Liberians gather with friends and family, sing, dance, and enjoy good food such as roast chicken and mashed cassavas. 

Brazil

Brazilians celebrate the “Dia de Ação de Graças” (Day of Giving Thanks) on the  last Thursday in November after the Ambassador Joaquim Nabuco suggested it in 1949. According to reports, the ambassador was so impressed by the American Thanksgiving that he wanted to deliver something similar in Brazil as well. 

However, Brazilians have added their own twist to it and made it more fitting to their culture. Today, Thanksgiving celebrations in Brazil begin with a church service where they express their gratitude for the harvest and end with a giant street party – the Fall Carnival. In between, there’s a lot of food too and most of it is very similar to the traditional American Thanksgiving food with the exception of cranberry sauce. They use a so-called jabuticaba sauce.

Norfolk Island

This little Australian island is probably the last place one would connect with American traditions or customs, but there’s an interesting story behind Norfolk Island’s Thanksgiving. 

It all started in the mid-1890s when an American trader known as Isaac Robinson tried to find a way to attract American whaling ships to the town of Kingston. As part of his efforts, he organized an American Thanksgiving service in the All Saints Church and decorated the church. Unfortunately, according to records, Robinson died the following year, but his efforts were more successful than he might have imagined. The tradition caught on and Norfolk Island began celebrating this holiday every year on the last Wednesday in November.

Today, Thanksgiving is one of the biggest holidays on the island. 

Brits-giving

Although it might sound very ironic to hear that the Britons are celebrating Thanksgiving, considering the fact that they persecuted the Pilgrims and had no tolerance for their religious practices, as of 2014, one in six Britons are participating in this holiday. 

The reasoning behind this is that many Britons who lived in America for a time might have fallen in love with the holiday and decided to embrace it, or Americans who moved to Britain are trying to keep their traditions alive. In any case, we should note that Britain doesn’t officially celebrate Thanksgiving and this phenomenon of Britons embracing the American tradition is, at least for now, an outlier.

Before You Leave

We’re sure you were surprised by at least some of the countries and their unique traditions that can be connected with our Thanksgiving rituals, which means you learned something new, and now, you can transfer this knowledge to your kids or students. The easiest way to do this without spending countless hours on preparation is to use our Thanksgiving around the world worksheet bundle, which you can download on our website. 

The holidays are a joyful and exciting period for kids, which gives us an opportunity to use their high spirits and fuel their brains with information that has the power to shape their world-view. 

However, as an experienced teacher or homeschool parent, you know that the holidays as a unit are just one piece of a high-quality curriculum, and you’ll need help for everything that’s coming up. Fortunately, we can offer you the largest collection of high-quality, interactive worksheets, curriculum, and other teacher resources at your disposal. Plus, we regularly update our blog with insightful articles covering a wide range of topics on childhood education, so don’t forget to check us out.