When hearing the word ‘Thanksgiving,’ many people think it originated in the colonial states of the U.S. However, this concept is not entirely accurate, as hundreds of other cultures celebrate harvests in their own ways. For example, Canada and Japan also honor farmers for their plentiful crops each year. Let’s take a look at when and how each country has celebrated Thanksgiving.
In the U.S., the first Thanksgiving celebration was held in 1621 by Plymouth settlers from England, also known as the Pilgrims. They had arrived in Massachusetts the year before and endured a brutal winter in which only half survived. Miraculously, Native American tribes like the Abenaki and Pawtuxet taught them essential food acquisition skills. Their corn cultivation turned out to be a huge success, and in gratitude, the Plymouth settlers invited their Native American allies to a celebratory feast. For three days, they shared food and hunted together. However, before 1827, Thanksgiving remained exclusive to the Northern states, while the Southern states were unfamiliar with the tradition. This changed when Sarah Josepha Hale launched a campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. Finally, President Lincoln granted her request in 1863, during the height of the American Civil War, as a way to unify and heal the divided country. Since then, Thanksgiving has been celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.
Surprisingly, Canada began its Thanksgiving celebrations earlier. In 1578, an English explorer named Martin Frobisher hosted a dinner with his crew to give thanks for a safe expedition to Nunavut. This is considered the first “Canadian” Thanksgiving, although Native Canadians had already been holding their own harvest festivals long before this event. Forty-eight years later, similar to its southern neighbor, both Indigenous people and newly settled French Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving together. Canadian Thanksgiving was also heavily influenced by U.S. traditions, as Loyalists moved to Canada after the American War of Independence. Today, Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October.
Finally, Japan has its own version of Thanksgiving called Kinro Kansha no Hi (Labor Thanksgiving Day). It originated from an ancient rice harvest festival known as Niinamesai, which dates back to the seventh century A.D. Since the Meiji era, the date for Labor Thanksgiving Day has remained the same: November 23rd. However, the modern tradition of celebrating labor in Japan began in 1948, three years after the end of World War II. Unlike the U.S., where Thanksgiving involves feasting, Japanese celebrations focus on work ethics. Labor organizations hold ceremonies to commemorate contributions to society, and children write thank-you letters to community workers.
Wherever you go, Thanksgiving reminds us all to express gratitude for the food on our plates. Korea, for example, also celebrates a harvest festival, Chuseok, every fall. Next time you sit down to enjoy a meal, think about the blood, sweat, and tears that went into putting it on your plate, and remember how people from every corner of the Earth give thanks for their blessings, too!
Works Cited
Nagy, Alison. “The History of Thanksgiving in Canada.” The History of Thanksgiving in Canada – Canada’s History, 4 Oct. 2018,
www.canadashistory.ca/explore/arts-culture-society/the-history-of-thanksgiving-in-canada. Pruitt, Sarah. “8 Thanksgiving Celebrations around the World.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Sept. 2023,
www.history.com/news/8-thanksgiving-celebrations-around-the-world. “Thanksgiving 2023 ‑ Tradition, Origins & Meaning.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, 31 Jan. 2024,
www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving#when-was-the-first-thanksgiving.
https://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving
By. Yeseo Kwak