Thanksgiving, the popular American festival, is making inroads into China. The festival is largely celebrated amongst Americans and Canadians who are settled in China. In schools, teachers tell about the meaning of Thanksgiving holiday to students in the class. However, children and elders in China drew new meaning out of it by thanking teachers, parents and friends on the day. Originally in the US and Canada, Thanksgiving is a day to thank God for the blessings bestowed on humanity. In the US, Thanksgiving is celebrated on fourth Thursday in November month and in Canada, it is celebrated on second Monday in October month. In China, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the date which migrants associate themselves, that is, Canadians celebrate it according to their calendar and Americans as per their calendar. However, for Chinese, they follow American date as the tale of Indians, pilgrims and sailing ships are more familiar to them.
Thanksgiving Celebration in China
Thanksgiving is celebrated in China by many American and Canadian origin immigrants. Check out for information about Thanksgiving in China in the following article.
Thanksgiving in China
- The preparation for the fest starts well before Thanksgiving Day. People swing into action to decorate their home with a big pumpkin, corns, candy and bowls of fruits and nuts. The underlying meaning of this is show abundance of food for the year. Additionally, they put table clothes with prints of autumn leaves. Others also light candles as decor.
- Since turkey and pumpkin form major Thanksgiving feast, the expatriates order ham, turkey, pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce from big local international store in advance.
- Americans and Canadians invite Chinese friends and colleagues for a lavish Thanksgiving dinner at their home.
- They get together for lavish dinners which mainly consist of roasted turkey, pumpkin pie and ham stuffed with vegetable and spices like black pepper, cinnamon and celery. They also serve sweet potato, corn, squash, cranberry sauce with baked bread and various fruits nuts such as grapes, walnuts, chestnuts etc. They follow the tradition of praying to God before eating the dinner.
- They tell stories to children over the meal and reflect on the significance and meaning of Thanksgiving Day.
- During the day, people visit Church to offer pray to the Lord. They sing, dance and play games with friends and relatives. Children are most thrilled lot. They enjoy playing footballs and indoor games with their friends. Most men spend the day watching sports on Television. While women indulge in shopping and other recreation.
- The expatriate families in China also send Thanksgiving greetings to their near and dear ones in their homeland.
So, on Thanksgiving Day, the local Chinese and American expatriates come together to celebrate the day with much pomp and gusto. It is the day people remember not only the love and kindness of God but also people who have showered love and kindness on them. Thanksgiving Day is truly a fun filled occasion in China.