Thanksgiving Celebrations in Canada and Germany

Canada

• First Thanksgiving celebration in North America predates the American one by over 40 years.
• Occurred in 1578, by English navigator Martin Frobisher in present-day Nunavut.
• First Nations and Native Americans held harvest festivals beforehand.
• Loyalists introduced turkey and other customs from American Thanksgiving during the Revolutionary War.
• National Thanksgiving Day established in 1879 (November 6).
• Changed to the second Monday of October in 1957.
• Similar traditions to American Thanksgiving include eating turkey and watching football.

Germany

• German Thanksgiving equivalent is Erntedankfest ("harvest festival of thanks").
• Often held on the first Sunday in October, usually following Michaelistag on September 29.
• Various dates in September and October.
• Rural areas observe the harvest more literally.
• Churches in cities also participate.
• Celebrants carry an Erntekrone (harvest crown) to church.
• Food includes Masthühnchen (fattened chickens) or Kapaun (castrated roosters).

Liberia

• An unusual location for an American-style Thanksgiving.
• Freed slaves from the U.S. established it in early 1820s.
• Established by the American Colonization Society.
• National Thanksgiving Day declared on the first Thursday of November in the early 1880s.
• Largely a Christian holiday.
• Churches auction off fruit baskets.
• Local families feast.
• Food includes roast chicken and mashed cassavas.
• Live music and dancing are part of the tradition.

Japan

• Kinro Kansha no Hi (Labor Thanksgiving Day) evolved from an ancient rice harvest festival, Niinamesai.
• Roots trace back to the seventh century.
• Established on November 23 during the Meiji Era (1868-1912).
• Modern tradition began in 1948, after WWII.
• Celebrates the rights of Japanese workers.
• Observed as a national holiday, but with limited feasting.
• Labor organizations lead events focused on hard work and community.
• Children make thank-you cards for essential workers.

Norfolk Island

• Remote island in the Pacific Ocean, former British penal colony.
• Thanksgiving tradition in the mid-1890s, from American trader Isaac Robinson.
• Organized American-style Thanksgiving service to attract visiting American whalers.
• Held in All Saints Church, Kingston.
• Celebrated on the last Wednesday of November annually.
• Decorations include fruit, vegetables, and corn stalks.
• American hymns are sung.

Grenada

• Celebrates Thanksgiving Day on October 25.
• Marks the anniversary of the joint Caribbean and U.S. military invasion in 1983 to restore order after a coup.
• U.S. soldiers shared American Thanksgiving traditions with the local citizens.