What Countries Celebrate Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday that is celebrated only in North America, as Canada and the United States are the only two countries that celebrate a holiday by the name Thanksgiving. Other countries around the world that celebrate a holiday similar to the celebration of Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada are China, Brazil, Malaysia, India and Korea. Thanksgiving is a harvest-related festival.
The Pilgrims celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday as a way to show off their harvest to the neighboring villages and Native American tribes.
In China, a harvest holiday similar to Thanksgiving known as August Moon is celebrated not in November but on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month of the Chinese calendar.
Brazil celebrates its day of thanksgiving much like the United States because an ambassador saw how the United States celebrated and decided to emulate the celebration. The goal of the Brazilian thanksgiving is to give thanks to God for a good harvest.
Korea celebrates its version of Thanksgiving on August 15. The holiday in that country is called Chu-Sok, which translates to “fall evening.” Unlike in the United States, where Thanksgiving is just one day, Chu-Sok is three days and involves special foods. Women wear dresses dedicated specifically to the event.
