Murray, NEB- Versions of Thanksgiving are celebrated all over the world. Over 17 countries celebrate this holiday in the months of Sept. to Nov. They may have different origins or names but they do have important things in common. It is a time of gratitude, traditions, family, and most of all a delicious feast.

Everyone knows the classic American Thanksgiving foods like mashed potatoes and gravy, turkey, corn stuffing, pumpkin pie, or a sweet potato dish. Did you know these foods are also eaten on Canadian Thanksgiving and Dia de Ação de Graças, which is Brazilian Thanksgiving? Though customs and celebrations are different, these countries share this traditional meal.

Germany celebrates Erntedankfest, which is translated to “thanks for the harvest festival”. At this festival, freshly harvested foods are often served like wheat, honeycomb, vegetables, and freshly made bread. Then there are common German foods available like rouladen, red cabbage, and potato dumplings. Rouladen consists of thin slices of meat and vegetables rolled up and topped with plenty of rouladen gravy.

Ladin is the most common name for Thanksgiving in India and it means litany to the virgin Mary, since this is a religious holiday. During Ladin they eat common festival foods like biryani, rice and chhole, dosa, dhokla, rice and paneer, samosa, dahi vada, bada, aaloo chap, and tandoori chicken. These are served on many special occasions in India.

Gan’en Jie means “thanks for grace” in Chinese. As a substitute for turkey in Asia, people prepare roast geese or chicken. Korea’s thanksgiving is called Chuseok. They eat foods like songpyeon and hangwa which are like traditional Korean rice cakes.

On Thanksgiving, food is what brings people together for the festival of gratitude. “The turkey. The sweet potatoes. The stuffing. The pumpkin pie. Is there anything else we all can agree so vehemently about? I don’t think so.” –Nora Ephron.