Happy Thanksgivings

By Jian Shuo Wang on 2008-11-27 16:33 · Westen Holidays

I never really understand the origin of Thanksgivings, and don’t know what people should do on this day. Meanwhile, at the back end of my mind, I still hesitate a bit to talk about this “western holiday”, confused about the terms of “westernization”, or globalization. To do something without a tradition just because of seeing it on TV, or movie sounds silly, just like people celebrating V-Day without know how to spell it. That is the starting point of my thoughts of Thanksgiving day. P.S. I even don’t know exactly what day is Thanksgivings if Judy hasn’t had written me a note saying: “BTW, today, our dinner is on Thanksgivings Day”.

So, in short, I don’t celebrate Thanksgivings day (no offense to people who think the day is so important. Just keep in mind, that in China, there is no such a holiday).

However, I do want to take the chance to thank a lot of people (as the name of the day implies). It is them who made my life so meaningful and happy. I want to thank many many people. What a hard task to do! The list is so long, that I can hardly put it into this article.

10 Comments
Yeah,Happy Thanksgivings!
— paul · 2008-11-27 17:20
@JS:

Thanksgiving dinner is a little like our Chinese New Year eve dinner. Everyone in the family will try to be at the table. It's celebrated a little earlier in Canada probabily because of the earlier havest due to the seasonal changes. Don't particularly like turkey, taste like liver with the texture of wet cardboard.
— wonton · 2008-11-27 18:52
happy givingthanks day,:)
— Cheery · 2008-11-27 19:23
Its very simple. We gather together to sit down for a big meal with our family (and sometimes friends and strangers). We 'give thanks' for having the family together and for the good fortune that we've had for the year, and for being able to eat.

The origin supposedly is when colonists came over from Europe to settle in America. They had a tough time surviving in the wild, but the Native Americans that were already here helped them to survive, showed them how to grow native crops and hunt, etc. When the autumn harvest came the colonists had a big party and invited the natives to give thanks for surviving in the new land.

(Later on the Europeans killed most of the Natives and took their land, but that's another story. We try not to remember that on Thanksgiving!)
— PaulF · 2008-11-27 21:45
The meaning of Thanksgiving day is not well understood anywhere outside of America, I'd say. I'm Irish and I didn't know what it meant. I'd say it's the same in the UK.

But if it's to do with the giving of thanks for a harvest, many countries would have something similar. Or even towns in countries would have their own version. Natural concept I suppose, whichever version our respective country has.
— Conall · 2008-11-28 02:41
Excellent and concise explanation there, PaulF! And, Jian Shuo, giving thanks for our friends and the good fortune of our health and well-being is something universal, no special holiday is really needed for that, so I think you've got it right. :-) Many blessings to be counted, by rich and poor alike. No matter what our circumstances, the fact of just being here to experience this amazing process we call "life" is something for which most of us can indeed be thankful.
— Carroll · 2008-11-28 03:45
Thanksgiving, not Thanksgivings
— Stephen · 2008-11-28 03:52
No one expects you to celebrate Thanksgiving. It is primarily an American and Canadian holiday, as mentioned above.
— elliottng · 2008-11-28 05:30
Thanksgiving (on this date) is only celebrated in the US, its hardly a "western" holiday, though Canada has its own Thanksgiving day at a different time of year. Nobody expects anyone in China to celebrate the day, though it is good to take the day and think about all the things and people you are thankful for.
— b. cheng · 2008-11-28 11:35
thanksgiving day should be the festival of the world.

yes,all of us should have a heart of thanks.
— penghelove · 2008-11-28 12:41