Is Thanksgiving Really Just For Americans?

Thanksgiving, one of our most cherished holidays, has always been considered to be a uniquely American holiday. But several other countries, cultures, and religions have their ways of celebrating the season and giving thanks. 

Take China, for example. Each year, the Chinese celebrate the harvest and give thanks to friends and family through their Moon Festival. Many traditional foods also circle around this holiday, but rather than the famous pie- the Chinese consume delicious round "moon cakes". These cakes are exchanged between family and friends as a token of appreciation and symbol of love. If you are looking for another way to express your love during this time, you're in luck! The 15th day of the 8th lunar month is also known as Women's Day. Sit beneath the moon with your significant other and enjoy the moon together, which the Chinese believe is the biggest and brightest on this day. 

In Brazil, the Ambassador enjoyed his experience of a traditional American thanksgiving so much that he decided to bring the idea back to his home. It has become a day to expressed thanks and gratitude for friends and family through a giant  annual harvest. 

Ancient Rome also historically had a fall celebration that closely resembles our Thanksgiving tradition. This festival, known as Cerelia, was celebrated in honor of the goddess of corn. It was custom that on this day, grains, fruits, and animals would be presented as a token of gratitude to the goddess. Then, friends and family would celebrate with music, dancing, and- of course- lots of food!

As we know, Korea is also no stranger to the thanksgiving tradition. Koreans have their own thanksgiving celebration, referred to as Chuseok. But instead of turkey and stuffing, this holiday calls for a dish known as Songpyon, made up of rice, beans, sesame seeds, and chestnuts. Friends and families gather together to eat, talk, and enjoy each other's company

while also giving thanks to their ancestors. 

So even if they don't exactly have a pumpkin pie, turkey, and plate of stuffing at their table, many other cultures have their own ways of giving thanks and appreciation among the people they care about- that aren't too different from ours after all! 

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The Chinese Welcome the New Season with the Mid-Autumn Festival

Beginning on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, China welcomes one of its most beloved and anticipated festivals, the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. Deeply imbedded with rich Chinese tradition and culture, it has often been dubbed as one of the most important of the traditional Chinese events. Not only that, but it is also one of the most fun and exciting! 

The holiday is also subject to several other titles, including the Moon Festival, Mooncake festival, and the Lantern Festival. 

Three fundamental concepts revolve around this special day; gathering, giving thanks, and praying. These three ideas have been a critical component of the Mid-Autumn festival and carried throughout the centuries since it's origin during the Shang Dynasty. 

One of the most important parts of the festival, as you may have guessed by the different names it's given, is moon worship. In ancient China it was believed that there was a connection between the moon and water that provided you with rejuvenation. Due to these beliefs, it became very popular for women to give offerings and worship the moon on the night after it was full. 

Modern day celebrations still involve offers of rice and wheat being made to the moon, but it also has introduced many new activities over the years. Some of these include parades of lanterns of various sizes, colors, and shapes as well the displaying of handcrafted lanterns, an art form that is heavily emphasized on this day despite its unfortunate decline in popularity in recent years. 

One of the most popular and important activities during the Mid-Autumn Festival is the creation and passing around of moon cakes. Originally, moon cakes were "sacrificed" to the moon during this time as a thank you for that year's fall harvest, since the ancient Chinese people believed the full moon was heavily connected to the changing seasons and

agriculture.  Today, they are still offered to the full moon but also just eaten in celebration with friends and family. The inspiration for the shape of the cakes comes, of course, from the shape of the moon but also from the idea that a circle symbolizes the coming together of family. In addition to enjoying the cakes amongst each other, people also give them as gifts to friends to wish them a long and fulfilled life. 

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The Legend Behind the Moon Festival

The Chinese Moon Festival, occurring on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, is deeply imbedded with rich Chinese tradition and culture. It is often considered one of the most important of the traditional events for the Chinese, and also one of the most fun and exciting! 

What makes this event so exciting and fills it with tradition are the legends behind the Moon Festival. One story says that Chang Er, the wife of a strong and tyrannical archer, flew to the moon, where she lives even today. Her husband had stolen the elixir of life from a goddess and Chang Er drank it in order to prevent her husband from being able to. It was her attempt to save the people from her tyrannical rule, and she soon found herself floating after consuming it so she decided to fly to the moon. Legend has it that you can see her dancing on the moon -- but only during the time of the Moon Festival. 

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The second legend of the Moon Festival is the story of Wu Kang, a man who went to live in the mountains after deciding he wished to become immortal. In the mountains he went to live with an immortal to teach him. He was first taught about herbs to use to cure sickness, he was then taught to play chess. Wu Kang was an impatient, restless person and demanded to learn even more, so then he was given the books of immortality to study. He became bored within a few days and demanded more knowledge. Angered with him, his teacher banished Wu Kang to the Moon Palace and said he could not return until he chopped down a cassia tree. Each time Wu Kang chopped it down, the magical tree restored itself, so the story says he still remains at the Moon Palace chopping away. 

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Another legend, and our personal favorite here at ONCEkids, is of the Jade Rabbit. This story says that three fairy sages turned themselves into poor old men, begging a fox, a monkey, and a rabbit for food. The fox and monkey both gave him food, but the rabbit, having no food, instead sacrificed his own life for the beggars. Touched by his sacrifice, the fairies let him live in the Moon Palace, becoming known as the "Jade Rabbit".