TEA AT WAR

Posted on January 20, 2026January 20, 2026 by vlaw759

Tea has been entwined with human history for thousands of years. Humans being humans, that also means that tea has been integral to humans at war for as long as we’ve been drinking it.

Tea in the Revolutionary War

As you may know from last week’s blog, tea played a pivotal role in U.S. history: the Tea Act of 1773 provoked the Boston Tea Party that escalated into the American Revolution. In fact, John Adams called tea a “Traitor’s Drink.” Boycotting traditional tea led to the creation of “Liberty Tea.”

Liberty Tea refers to a tea substitute created and drunk by colonists during the boycott. Patriotic Americans made these “teas” from native plants and herbs, such as raspberry leaf, cranberries, lemon and orange peel, chamomile, mint, rose petals, as well as other local botanicals such as blueberries, apples, strawberries, peppermint, and lavender—quite different from traditional black or green teas but cherished for their local origin, symbolism of resistance, and independence from British rule.

Tea in the American Civil War

After a 10-year total boycott of tea, it gradually regained its popularity in the States. By the middle of the 19th century, tea was back on American tables.

At the outbreak of the American Civil War, over half of America’s foreign–born population was British and Irish. In addition, although Britain was officially neutral, as many as 50,000 British and Irish men and women served in the two armies. Tea (or coffee) was a staple for soldiers on both sides, with gunpowder green tea being common among those who could get it. The availability of tea varied by side and era.

Tea for Votes!

“On July 9, 1848, five key members of the American women’s suffrage movement met for tea in Waterloo, New York: Lucretia Mott, Martha Wright, Mary Ann McClintock, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and hostess Jane Hunt. Over tea, these women expressed their views so passionately that while their meeting had probably started as a calm affair, it quickly became the launch pad for nothing less than the Seneca Falls Convention; this convention was the first women’s rights conference in the Western world, and it had started with a simple tea party.”
America’s Suffragette Movement Began with a Tea Party from Boston Tea Party Museum

Other suffragettes carried on this tradition, holding tea parties to raise funds and spread the message of the movement. In 1914, porcelain teapots, cups, and saucers inscribed with Votes for Women appeared at fundraising events. Women were granted the right to vote in the U.S. in 1920, so one might say that era started another American revolution.

Tea in the British Army

Tea became a staple in the British military from the 18th century onward, and commanders often issued tea to soldiers during campaigns, especially in colonial regions like India. The British army’s inability to ensure regular tea supplies to soldiers in the Crimean War spurred efforts to improve military logistics. It was—and is—valued for its caffeine content, which helped soldiers stay alert, and its value as a comforting ritual in harsh conditions is often mentioned.

Tea in World War I

As mentioned in last week’s blog, tea bags remarkably similar to the modern ones were patented in 1901. During World War I, tea was an important beverage, especially for troops from Britain and other parts of the British Empire. Tea was included in the soldiers’ rations, typically in the form of tea leaves or bagged tea. Soldiers would brew tea using water heated over small stoves or fires in the trenches. Tea helped keep soldiers warm and hydrated in cold, damp trenches. It served not only as a comforting beverage but also as a morale booster amid the horrors of that war.

Tea in World War II

“Instant tea” (similar to freeze-dried instant coffee) was developed in the 1930s. During World War II, British and Canadian military command issued instant tea in soldiers’ ration packs.

In 1942, the British government bought all the black tea available on the European market to ensure their soldiers had a steady supply on the front lines. In the field, soldiers improvised a variety of heating elements to boil water for tea, including igniting sand mixed with petrol and taking advantage of heat coming off vehicle engines.

Tea at War Around the World

But focusing on Britain gives a very unbalanced view of when and where tea went to war!

Chinese Armies

People in China have been consuming tea for thousands of years. Ancient Chinese armies relied on tea for its stimulant properties and as a way to stay hydrated during long campaigns.

Soldiers likely drank it both for health and morale.

Japanese Samurai and Military

Samurai warriors incorporated tea ceremonies into their culture, emphasizing mindfulness and discipline. In fact, samurai were the first to practice the original tea ceremony, Ueda Sōko Ryū (上田宗箇流). While not a battlefield staple, tea was part of the broader warrior ethos.

Later Japanese military forces also consumed tea, valuing its practical benefits.

Russian Army

According to legend, Cossack military leaders visited China in 1567, where they encountered tea and brought it back to Russia. Tea became popular in Russia from the 17th century and was widely consumed by soldiers as a warming drink, especially important in cold climates.

Tea helped maintain morale and provided warmth during harsh Russian winters.

Indian Armies

In India, the military under the British Raj largely created the domestic market for tea. Though the British East India Company established tea plantations in India in the 1820s, the majority of the tea produced was a cash crop destined for export. The Indian Tea Cess bill of 1903 was an attempt to promote domestic tea consumption in India by means of an export tax on locally grown tea, though this was only marginally successful.

However, the tea-drinking habits of working-class British soldiers stationed in India spread to Indian members of the army. Like their British counterparts, Indian soldiers (sepoys) developed a taste for the sweet, milky tea that made up a significant portion of their daily calories. In the 1860s, military commanders experimented with communally-available kettles of tea constantly boiling in army camps in Pune.

Tea sellers set up stalls at train stations along Indian railroads, further spreading the popularity of tea among military and civilian train passengers.

Mongol Armies

Mongol warriors drank a form of tea made from fermented milk, salt, millet, and tea leaves (similar to Tibetan butter tea) to sustain energy during long campaigns across harsh terrains. A Mongolian soldier required approximately 3,600 calories every day just to stave off malnutrition while on campaign. Süütei tsai (ᠰᠦ᠋ ᠲᠡᠢᠴᠠᠢ) provided a significant portion of the daily caloric needs of a soldier.

In short, tea has been a common drink among armies in Britain, China, Japan, Russia, India, and Mongolia, among others. Its stimulating caffeine, warming properties, and cultural significance made it a valuable commodity for those facing the hardships of military life.

Tea and the Opium War

Apart from militaries’ reliance on tea for consumption, tea has played a major role in world politics and economics. A prime example is the role of tea in the Opium Wars, intertwining commerce, colonialism, and cultural exchange with profound consequences.

In the 18th and early 19th centuries, tea was such a prized commodity in Britain and Europe, that Britain had a massive trade imbalance with China: they imported vast quantities of tea, silk, and porcelain but had little that the Chinese wanted in return.

*“*Commissioner Lin and the Destruction of the Opium in 1839*.*“

To correct this imbalance, British traders began exporting opium grown in British-controlled India to China. Opium sales exploded, creating widespread addiction and social problems. The Chinese government attempted to suppress the opium trade, leading to tensions with Britain.

The conflicts arose primarily because of British insistence on free trade, including the opium trade, and Chinese efforts to enforce their laws banning opium.

*British East India Company ship in naval battle with Chinese navy at the Second Battle of Chuenpi, 1871*

Tea was indirectly central to these wars as the demand for tea was a key driver of the British desire to continue trading with China on their terms, including the opium trade.

After the War

The wars resulted in China’s defeat, leading to the Treaty of Nanking (1842) and other unequal treaties, which opened several Chinese ports to British trade; ceded Hong Kong to Britain; and allowed British merchants greater freedom to trade, including tea. The Opium Wars marked the beginning of the “Century of Humiliation” for China, affecting its sovereignty and economy for decades.

The forced opening of China contributed to the expansion of the global tea trade. Tea became a symbol of British imperialism but also a cultural bridge, becoming deeply embedded in British identity.

Tea is more than just a beloved beverage. It’s been a catalyst in the complex economic and political dynamics that have sparked conflict, and reshaped global trade and colonial relations.

A related example is covered in a book by Andrew B. Liu. As the subtitle indicates, Tea War: A History of Capitalism in China and India isn’t about a literal war. However, it underscores yet again the importance of tea in world affairs.

Bottom Line: Tea is a centuries-old octopus, with tentacles reaching into virtually all aspects of human history.

THE WORLD OF TEA

Posted on January 13, 2026January 13, 2026 by vlaw759

I—and perhaps others—associate tea drinking with the British Isles. Way too narrow! India is the world’s largest tea-drinking nation, although the per capita consumption of tea is modest (26 oz per year). Türkiye, with 5lb 8oz of tea consumed per person per year, is the world’s greatest per capita consumer.

According to Wikipedia, after plain water, tea is the most widely consumed drink in the world. According to Tea Bloom, people consume 100 million cups every day. However, Big Heart Tea estimates the number to be closer to three billion cups of tea per day. In any event, in 2023, global tea consumption was more than 14 million pounds.

Origins of Tea

Legend has it that in 2737 BCE, Chinese Emperor Shen Nong discovered tea when leaves from a wild tree blew into his pot of boiling water. He found the flavor refreshing, the beginning of tea’s journey through history. Whether myth or reality, this serendipitous discovery has affected millions of daily routines.

People in ancient East Asia ate tea for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years before ever drinking it. They would nibble on the leaves raw, add them to soups or greens, or ferment and chew them.

Tea drinking may have begun in the region of Yunnan, where people originally used it for medicinal purposes. Although people have assumed—and asserted—health benefits throughout history, there is no high-quality evidence showing that drinking tea provides significant benefits other than (possibly) increasing alertness, due to the caffeine in the tea leaves. Caffeine makes up about 3% of tea’s dry weight, which translates to between 30 and 90 milligrams per 8.5 US fl oz cup, depending on the type (black has more caffeine than green or white), brand, and brewing method.

Historians believe that people in Sichuan began boiling tea leaves for a concentrated drink without the addition of other leaves or herbs, producing a bitter, stimulating drink, rather than a medicinal concoction.

Archeologists discovered the earliest physical evidence of tea in 2016 in the mausoleum of Emperor Jing in Xi’an, who died in 141 BCE. Han dynasty emperors drank tea from the genus Camellia as early as the second century BCE.

In ancient China, people pressed tea leaves into bricks for use as currency during trade or as a form of tribute. This practice underscores the value and importance of tea in historical societies. These tea bricks were useful for trading goods, paying taxes, or as dowries.

Tea in Europe

Portuguese priests and merchants introduced tea to Europe during the 16th century. The earliest European reference to tea, written as chiai, came from Delle navigationi e viaggi written by Venetian Giambattista Ramusio in 1545.

During the 17th century, drinking tea became fashionable among the British upper classes. Shortly after, British aristocrats started to plant tea on a large scale in India, where it had previously served only as a medicine.

Garaway’s coffee house in London first sold tea in 1657. Samuel Pepys wrote of tasting tea in his diary in 1660. Catherine of Braganza took the tea-drinking habit to the English court when she married Charles II in 1662. Still, tea was not widely consumed in the British Isles until the 18th century.

British drinkers preferred to add sugar and milk to black tea, and black tea overtook green tea in popularity in the 1720s. In Britain and Ireland, people initially viewed it as a luxury item for special occasions, such as religious festivals, wakes, and domestic work gatherings.

The price in Europe fell steadily during the 19th century, especially after Indian tea began to arrive in large quantities; by the late 19th century, tea had become an everyday beverage for all levels of society.

The popularity of tea played a role in U.S. history: the Tea Act of 1773 provoked the Boston Tea Party that escalated into the American Revolution.

In fact, John Adams called tea a “Traitor’s Drink.” Sentiments like this led to a 10-year boycott of tea altogether. Many American colonists switched to growing and drinking coffee.

Varieties of Tea

There are many types of tea; some have a cooling, slightly bitter, and astringent flavor, while others have profiles that include sweet, nutty, floral, or grassy notes.

Most Camellia sinensis leaves are harvested when the plant is about three to five feet tall. If the growers leave the plant to grow, it can turn into a massive tree that can soar over 50 feet tall!

The term herbal tea refers to drinks not made from Camellia sinensis. They are infusions of fruit, leaves, or other plant parts, such as steeps of rosehip, chamomile, or rooibos. These are not to be confused with tea made from the tea plant.

Darjeeling tea only grows in one specific region of India. The Darjeeling district is about 70 square acres and sits at the base of the Himalayas.

According to legend, British aristocrat and Prime Minister Charles Grey was given tea infused with bergamot oil. He asked merchants to recreate it, and they named the tea “Earl Grey” for the man who loved it so dearly.

Pu-Erh teas stay usable even after decades in storage. Makers of pu-erh press fermented and aged leaves into pucks and shapes that they then wrap and store.

Ludwig Roselius developed the first commercial decaffeination process. He began marketing decaf coffee (Kaffee HAG) in Europe by about 1905 and later in the United States in 1923.

Decaffeinated tea is very popular for those want the taste and feel of tea without the stimulant. To make decaffeinated tea at home, steep your leaves for twenty seconds to one minute. This releases most of the caffeine. Pour out the caffeinated water and fill your teapot or kettle again to re-steep the decaffeinated tea to the desired strength.

Modern Convenience

“Instant tea” (similar to freeze-dried instant coffee ) is a modern alternative to brewed tea. Food scientists developed it in the 1930s, though Nestlé introduced the first commercial product in 1946. Redi-Tea introduced instant iced tea in 1953. Additives such as chai, vanilla, honey or fruit, are popular, as is powdered milk.

During World War II, British and Canadian command issued soldiers an instant tea in their composite ration (“compo”) packs. These blocks of instant tea, powdered milk, and sugar were not always well received!

In 1981, Japanese brewers introduced canned tea ready to drink. PT Sinar Sosro, an Indonesian company, introduced the first bottled tea 1969 with the brand name Teh Botol Sosro (or Sosro bottled tea). In 1983, Swiss-based Bischofszell Food Ltd. was the first company to bottle iced tea on an industrial scale.

Tea Culture

It is nearly impossible to overstate the importance of tea as a cultural phenomenon. Many countries with a history of growing or importing tea have developed social patterns around drinking it. Turkish merchants share glasses of çay before starting any serious deal-making. Traditional Chinese doctors often prescribe precise infusions of 茶 for a variety of ailments. Vietnamese couples serve trà sen to older family members as part of a Đám Hỏi wedding ceremony. Tibetans will drink up to 60 cups of yak butter bho jha every day.

British Teatime

When we think of teatime, what comes to mind is likely some variation of British afternoon tea. It comes in many shapes and forms, from an afternoon cup of a favorite blend to a formal event with multiple teas, scones, clotted cream, and finger sandwiches. Afternoon tea —also known as “low tea” for the low coffee tables it’s served on — was enjoyed by royalty and the upper-class.

Social events like parties and dances grew out of the afternoon teatime custom. People invite friends and neighbors for socializing, music, and dancing, followed by sharing afternoon tea.

In Britain, high tea is very different. Common among the lower classes, it is a hearty evening meal served at a high dining table with a pot of tea.

Japanese Teaism

In the 1500s, the tea master Sen no Rikyu perfected the Japanese tea ceremony, elevating it to an art form. In Japanese, the word “teaism” is more accurate than the English “ceremony”, as it more closely captures the religious and philosophical elements of the occasion.

Zen Buddhism and Shinto Buddhism both influenced teaism, as seen in the architecture of teahouses and ritual purification steps.

The most formal style of chaji occurs around noon during cool weather. Guests and hosts follow a precise order of steps, including reflecting on a scroll or flower arrangement, eating special foods, purifying and arranging utensils, and passing a cup of matcha.

Making Tea

2000 tea leaves make one pound of tea—or 200-250 cups. There are a variety of methods for steeping and enjoying a hot brew.

The process starts with heating water, often in a dedicated kettle or samovar. Connoisseurs will take care to heat the water to precise temperatures for optimal brewing. White tea steeps best in water 160-180 degrees; black tea steeps best in water 200-212 degrees.

By measuring loose tea leaves individually for use, the “brewer” has maximum control over strength and flavor. Strainers, tea balls, tea presses, filtered teapots, and infusion bags prevent loose leaves from floating in the tea and over-brewing. Too inconvenient?

Tea bags and balls hold leaves while allowing for hot water to circulate. Most conventional teabags are made with materials that don’t decompose, but it is possible to find reusable or biodegradable bags. Tea balls are small metal or porcelain containers for holding leaves while infusing, with a spring or latch holding them closed.

On August 26, 1901, the two Wisconsin women, Roberta C. Lawson and Mary Molaren, filed a patent (US723287) for a unique (at the time) ‘Tea-Leaf Holder’ that is remarkably similar to the modern tea bag. Statistics show that as many as 98 percent of Americans and 96 percent of U.K. residents use tea bags. Tea-drinkers also use them extensively in India, Japan, and elsewhere.

Tea Sets

Russian tea samovar and podstakannik — *Russian samovar and podstakannik*

A tea set typically includes everything needed for steeping and serving hot tea. At a minimum, this may just be a teapot and a cup.

A full British set will include several cups and saucers, a sugar bowl, a milk jug, and a few teaspoons.
A Turkish set will include a çaydanlık pot, ince belli glasses, spoons, and a bowl for beet sugar cubes.
A Russian set will include a samovar, containers for hot and cold water, several bowls for a variety of sweeteners, spoons, and either porcelain cups and saucers or glasses with metal podstakannik holders.

Some teapots include a mesh or strainer on the inside of the spout to catch soggy leaves before they can tumble into the cup.

no-drip tea pots — *If you follow me on Facebook, you already know that these 3 teapots are the best no-drip pots ever.*

Interesting Tea Facts

The word tea itself has multiple meanings: beverage, leaves, plant, social event, evening meal, slang for marijuana, and slang for personal or secret information.

Tasseography—or tasseomancy—is a fortune-telling method that a trained practitioner can perform with tea leaves, coffee grounds, and even wine sediment. A “Highland Seer” wrote the book Reading Tea Leaves in 1881. Tasseographers still use it as a guide today.

According to the Tea Association of the U.S.A. (yes, that’s a thing), 84% of the tea consumed in America is black—of that, 75-85% is served as iced tea.

Although tea originates in the southern regions of China, today it grows anywhere with the correct climate. There are plantations in India, Sri Lanka, the Republic of Georgia, Kenya, Vietnam, Türkiye, and South Africa. It’s even grown in South Carolina and Hawaii!

Furniture and Accessories

The popularity of tea and its role in social functions has led to the creation of specialized paraphernalia to aid in its enjoyment. In English, we refer to a whole class of towels, spoons, carts, and tables specifically by their association with brewed Camellia sinensis leaves.

In the 18th century, most tea caddies had a lock, the key kept by the lady of the house to prevent theft. Early artisans made these containers of various materials, including blue and white porcelain from China. Later caddies were typically made of wood adorned with brass, ivory, tortoiseshell, and other elements.

A tea chest can mean a synonym for a caddy. Alternatively, it can refer to a square wooden case, usually lined with sheet lead or tin, used for shipping the dried leaves.

Tea pets are tiny clay statues that have no soul when you purchase them. Over time, as you pour tea — which has a soul — over them, the soul within your tea transfers to your pet.

A teapoy is a piece of furniture, originally a three-legged table. The name originally came from the Hindi word tīn, meaning three, and the Persian word pāi, meaning foot. By association with the word “tea” in the middle of the 19th century, it is also used to describe a table with a container for tea, or a table for holding a tea service. In the 19th century, the word was also sometimes applied to a large porcelain or earthenware tea caddy, and more frequently to the small bottles, often of enamel, which fitted into receptacles in the caddy and actually contained the tea.

Bottom Line: January is National Hot Tea Month. There’s more to tea than you probably knew!

DICTIONARY LOVE

Posted on January 6, 2026January 6, 2026 by vlaw759

Given the season, I was tempted to write about New Year’s resolutions. Not wanting to repeat myself, I reviewed my blogs from 12/30/16, 1/1/19, and 1/3/23. And then I realized that all sorts of commentators and media were talking about how many people make resolutions (between 34 and 62%), who makes them (younger people), how many people keep them (fewer than half), what the resolutions are about (fitness, finances)… I decided I have nothing to add this year.

In the meantime, the Wall Street Journal recently (Dec. 20-21, 2025 issue) had a long article about the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. I venture to suggest that when asked about a dictionary, that’s the one most people think of. For generations, a copy has been a go-to gift for high school and college graduates, as well as miscellaneous other gift-giving occasions. In the late 1980s, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary was on the Times best-seller list for 155 consecutive weeks; 57 million copies were sold, a number believed to be second only to sales of the Bible in the U.S.

And people hold on to them! My husband still has one from his last year as an English professor, the 9th edition, published in 1983.

Partying with half a dozen other writers, I asked whether they still use physical dictionaries. NO! Not one. They all look online (as do I). Still, physical dictionaries haven’t yet gone the way of the dodo bird: last year Merriam-Webster sold nearly 1.5 million physical dictionaries (according to that WSJ article).

I love dictionaries, so I researched their history for this blog. They have a fascinating (to me) history that reflects the evolution of language, literacy, and knowledge organization.

Dictionary History

Dictionaries have had a long run!

*Pages from the Erya, in the Chinese Dictionary Museum*

The earliest surviving monolingual dictionary is the Eyra, which Chinese scholars wrote in the 3rd century BCE. Translators have interpreted the title characters (爾雅) as “Progress Towards Correctness”, “The Semantic Approximator”, and “Approaching Elegance.”

Modern dictionaries evolved from early glossaries and bilingual word lists. Renaissance glossaries and later works like the Catholicon (1287) and Covarrubias’s Tesoro de la lengua (1611) paved the way for modern single-language dictionaries and standardized national lexicons. By the 18th–19th centuries, publishers were offering monolingual dictionaries, including comprehensive English dictionaries.

Early Beginnings

The earliest known attempts at word lists and glossaries date back to ancient Mesopotamia (around 2300 BCE). Scribes learning languages created Sumerian and Akkadian bilingual word lists.

Classical Antiquity

In ancient Greece and Rome, scholars compiled lists of difficult or rare words, often to assist with understanding classical texts. For example, Philo of Byblos and Aelius Donatus created early glossaries. Philitas of Cos wrote Disorderly Words to help his fellow Greeks decipher odd and archaic vocabulary, particularly in the works of Homer.

Medieval Period

During the Middle Ages, dictionaries were often glossaries—lists of difficult words with explanations—in Latin and vernacular languages. They were primarily tools for scholars and clergy.

The rise of vernacular languages in Europe led to more dictionaries aimed at explaining Latin terms or translating between Latin and local languages.

Renaissance and Early Modern Era

*Close-up from the 1755 edition of Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language*

The invention of the printing press in the 15th century revolutionized dictionary production.

In 1604, Robert Cawdrey published the first English dictionary, titled A Table Alphabeticall, containing about 2,500 words with simple definitions.

The 17th and 18th centuries saw the rise of more comprehensive dictionaries. Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language (1755) was a landmark work, combining definitions with literary quotations and shaping English lexicography.

19th and 20th Centuries: The Oxford English Dictionary

Once upon a time, when asked what one book I’d want to have if stranded on a desert island, I didn’t even have to consider: “The Oxford English Dictionary, not in the condensed form.”

Actually, that answer could be challenged. I have the compact edition, and even that is two big, fat volumes (boxed, with a magnifying glass). The hard cover edition had 20 volumes, 21,728 pages. The OED is now being completely revised to produce an updated Third Edition.

What appealed to me was both the comprehensiveness of the listings and the inclusion of the history of each word.

The 19th century brought the creation of historical and etymological dictionaries, like the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) I discussed above, which began publication in 1884 and aimed to document the history and development of every English word!

Dictionary Types

Dictionaries expanded to cover specialized fields, slang, and dialects. The 20th century saw the rise of bilingual dictionaries and learner’s dictionaries to support language education and globalization.

I started collecting dictionaries when I started writing fiction. I have shelf after shelf filled with them!

When one thinks of specialized dictionaries, medicine and law come immediately to mind. But for my purposes, I needed the common language.—i.e., slang. To seem authentic—real, if you will—the thoughts and dialogue of characters are crucial.

One of my favorite dictionaries is Talk the Talk: The Slang of 65 American Subcultures. Groups from stamp collectors to people living in Antarctica, from Birders to con artists, to Wiccans, witches, and neo-pagans are included. It’s a fun read even if you aren’t a writer!

*If you are a fan of Patrick O’Brien, Aubrey and Maturin series, there’s a dictionary for you!*

I’ve published half a dozen short stories set during the American Civil War, and the Civil War Dictionary was invaluable for everything from what women’s underwear was called to what prostitutes were called, to … whatever.

*I even have a dictionary of South African English—which I’ve never actually used but love having!*

The Dictionary in the Digital Age

The late 20th and early 21st centuries introduced electronic dictionaries and online databases, making dictionaries more accessible and interactive. Platforms like Merriam-Webster Online and the OED Online offer constantly updated entries and multimedia content.

Artificial intelligence and corpus linguistics have enabled dictionaries to be more descriptive and data-driven, reflecting real-world language use. But when looking for a word, a meaning, or a spelling online, that is what you will get: that one word. By contrast, according to the WSJ article cited above, “One of the pleasures of having a dictionary at hand is the serendipity of idle browsing—of progressing from ‘crankshaft’ to ‘cranky’ to ‘cranbog’…” Online, you don’t get more than you ask for.

Bottom Line: For some of us, online searches will never replace physical dictionaries in our hearts.

TRACKING THE YEAR

Posted on December 30, 2025December 31, 2025 by vlaw759

What did people do before calendars? Clearly, they were always aware of seasons.

Architectural Calendars

I’m amazed by the sophisticated calculations and understanding of ancient cultures.

Stonehenge, for example. It is 4,000 to 5,000 years old, and consists of a ring of massive standing stones, some weighing up to 25 tons (which speaks to amazing engineering achievements, as well). Stonehenge is widely believed to have been used for ceremonial or religious purposes. It aligns with the solstices, especially the summer solstice sunrise and winter solstice sunset. This may hint at its use as an ancient astronomical calendar.

The Inca people also tracked the solar year. They built intihuatana stones (meaning “hitching post of the sun”), such as the famous one at Machu Picchu. Incas used these as solar clocks or calendars to mark solstices and equinoxes. The solstices (around June 21 and December 21) were critical for marking agricultural cycles and religious festivals. The Inca calendar was primarily solar, with 12 months of 30 days each, plus 5 extra days to complete the year. Each month was linked to specific agricultural or ritual activities, often dictated by astronomical observations. For example, the rising of the Pleiades star cluster (known as Qollqa) marked the time to begin planting potatoes and other crops.

Varieties of Native American Calendars

Native Americans tracked the year in numerous ways. I’m especially interested in Native American life, so I’ll go into a bit more detail.

Many peoples tracked the year using moon-based and seasonal cues/events, starting in spring, sometimes counting 4, 5, 12, or 13 moons, and occasionally adding an extra moon every few years to align with solar years. The Lakota also used winter counts (waniyetu wówapi) with pictographic records of notable events and environmental observations to mark each year.

waniyetu wówapi calendars — *Waniyetu Wówapi Winter Count by Yanktonai Sioux Lone Dog*

Cycle Tracking

Native American groups tracked the year by observing natural cycles.

Changing seasons: They noted the progression of spring, summer, fall, and winter through environmental changes like plant blooming, animal migrations, and weather patterns.
- The Ojibwe divide the year into five seasons: Ziigwan (spring), Niibin (summer), Dagwaagi (fall), Biboon (winter), and Minookimi, a season between midwinter and spring.

Phenology: The timing of natural events, such as when certain plants flowered or when specific animals appeared or migrated, served as natural calendars.
- Members of the Menominee tribe are using historical phenology to study the effects of climate change on fruit ripening speed and amounts.

Harvest cycles: Key agricultural events like planting and harvesting corn, beans, and squash marked important yearly milestones.
- The Mississippian people mark the New Year with fasting and feasting at the Green Corn Puskita Ceremony.

Lunar Counting

Many tribes used the phases of the moon to mark time.

A lunar cycle (about 29.5 days) was often counted, with 12 or 13 lunar cycles roughly corresponding to a year.
Each full moon often had a specific name reflecting the time of year or natural phenomena. For example, the “Strawberry Moon” in early summer when strawberries ripened, and the “Harvest Moon” in autumn during the main harvest period.
- The Anishinaabe people named each moon to correspond with natural events: January, Moon of the Hardening Ice; May, Flowering Moon; October, Falling Leaves Moon.
- The Mashantucket Pequot people have thirteen moons, often named for activities performed during that month. For example, the Corn Planting Moon and the Gift Giving Moon.
These moon names helped organize activities and ceremonies.

Solar Counting

Some tribes created calendars by observing the sun’s position and its cycles.

Solstices and equinoxes were important markers. For example, many people have celebrated the winter solstice as the rebirth of the sun.
The Mississippian people constructed a series of timber circles in Illinois. The red cedar posts at Cahokia line up with summer and winter solstices as well as both equinoxes.

Some people built structures like medicine wheels or stone alignments to track solar events.
- The Big Horn Medicine Wheel (Annáshisee) in Wyoming is at least ten thousand years old. According to the Crow people, it was already present when they came to the area. Archaeologists theorize that prehistoric ancestors of the Assinniboine people may have constructed it to mark solar alignments.

Some tribes used counting systems based on days or moons. For instance, the Lakota counted years by the number of winters or summers passed.

Chinese Calendars

The Chinese calendar is a traditional system people have used in China and many East Asian cultures. It combines both lunar and solar elements, making it distinct from the purely solar Gregorian calendar commonly used worldwide today.

*The Tung Shing almanac details both the Gregorian and Chinese lunisolar calendar as well as auspicious dates for big occasions.*

Modern-day China uses the Gregorian calendar for most purposes. However, for holidays and selecting auspicious dates, people still use the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar.

Key Features of the Chinese Calendar:

*In Beijing, a vertical pole and a horizontal ruler, aligned north and south on the ground, marks the winter solstice and the length of the tropical year by measuring the length of the shadow cast.*

Chinese New Year: The most famous date, the Lunar New Year, falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, typically between January 21 and February 20.

Lunisolar System: It tracks months based on the moon’s phases (lunar months) but also aligns with the solar year to keep seasons consistent.

Months: Each month begins with a new moon and lasts about 29.5 days. There are 12 months in a normal year.

Leap Months: To synchronize the lunar months with the solar year (about 365.24 days), the calendar inserts an extra (leap) month every 2-3 years, resulting in a 13-month year.

Solar Terms (节气, Jiéqì): The year is divided into 24 solar terms based on the sun’s position along the ecliptic. These mark important seasonal changes and agricultural periods.

Zodiac Cycle: The calendar features a 12-year animal cycle—Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig—each year associated with an animal sign.

Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches: A 60-year cycle combining 10 Heavenly Stems and 12 Earthly Branches creates a complex naming system for years, months, days, and even hours.

Non-Gregorian Calendars Today

Whether called calendars or not, people have used multiple systems to align days, months, and years with the solar cycle.

Today, when we talk about a calendar, no one doubts that we mean the Gregorian calendar. It is the calendar in use in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull Inter gravissimas issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years slightly differently to make the average calendar year 365.2425 days long (rather than the Julian calendar’s 365.25 days). This more closely approximates the 365.2422-day “tropical” or “solar” year that is determined by the Earth’s revolution around the Sun. Tiny tweak, but apparently really significant.

Although the Gregorian Calendar is virtually universal for civic purposes, people continue to use many other calendars for religious or cultural purposes.

Here are some of these calendar comparisons, and how they would have marked the same date:

Gregorian calendar: 30 December, AD 2025
Islamic (ٱلتَّقْوِيم ٱلْهِجْرِيّ Hijri) calendar: 10 Rajab, AH 1447 (using tabular method)
Solar (ڕۆژژمێری کۆچیی ھەتاوی Hijri) calendar: 9 Dey, SH 1404
Hebrew calendar (הַלּוּחַ הָעִבְרִי HaLuakh ha’Ivri): 10 Tevet, AM 5786
Coptic calendar: 21 Koiak, AM 1742
Bengali calendar (বঙ্গাব্দ Bôṅgābdô): 15 Poush, BS 1432
Ethiopian calendar (ዐውደ ወርኅ Geʽez): 20 Tahsas, 2019
Julian calendar: 17 December, AD 2025

And sometimes people use calendars in idiosyncratic ways. A well-traveled friend of mine said, “When I lived in Georgia [the country], people took advantage of the difference between the Gregorian and Julian calendar to celebrate Christmas twice: on December 25th and again on January 7th!”

Bottom Line: People have always tracked the progress of the year in whatever ways served their times and lives.

CHRISTMAS DAY IS FOR EVERYONE

Posted on December 23, 2025December 22, 2025 by vlaw759

As a National Holiday, when hardly any businesses are open, nearly everyone in the US has a day off. What do non-Christians and non-religious people do on Christmas Day?

Other Religious Traditions

Many religious traditions include a midwinter holiday, and those celebrations occasionally fall on December 25th. Even when they don’t, many faith communities take advantage of a day off from work and school to celebrate together.

Being Jewish or Buddhist on Christmas Day

In 2024, Hannukah and Christmas fell on the same day. However, this synching only happens about five times in a century.

I have a Jewish friend whose family tradition was to go to the movies. Most major U.S. theater chains are open on December 25th with early-afternoon showtimes and full or modified schedules. However, some have holiday surcharges.

One year when viewing Christmas decorations in the neighborhood, my Chinese-American granddaughter said, “We’re Buddhists and we don’t have holidays, but we celebrate Christmas as a cultural tradition.” Her family decorates a tree, exchanges gifts, etc.

Another family I know who practice Buddhism, and do not subscribe to any particular religion, traditionally go to a Chinese restaurant. Virtually all Chinese restaurants are open and Christmas Day is among the busiest days of the year for many.

Although the family I mentioned is Buddhist, eating Chinese food on December 25th is a widespread tradition among Jewish Americans. This practice began as far back as the 19th century, often attributed to the proximity of Jewish and Chinese American communities in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Today, the tradition has spread across America. One Chinatown restaurant in Chicago reported that in 2003 “I think we had the entire Jewish community here”, with their 350-seat restaurant being completely booked on December 25.

Being Muslim on Christmas Day

What about Muslims? Although Jesus and Mary are central to the Muslim faith, Christmas isn’t necessarily treated as a religious holiday. As far as I could find, there is no stand-out tradition in the Muslim community. Some treat it as a normal day, and rest or attend to personal matters. Others participate in celebrations or visit family, with many emphasizing maintaining good relations and respecting others’ traditions.

According to Fawzia Mirza, celebrations on the day often involve “auntie and uncle” parties with other U.S. South Asians. And also bowling! “The favorite Muslim pastime is bowling. Not on the day itself, but it’s like everyone else is visiting family and opening presents—we’re going bowling.”

Not every bowling alley is open on December 25th. Typically, hours are shortened and may vary by date, so check local hours and reservations if you’re interested.

Secular Traditions

Atheists and agnostics often celebrate Christmas non-religiously as a cultural holiday—focusing on family, friends, feasting, gifts, and togetherness, sometimes attending Unitarian services or enjoying secular traditions.

With this huge emphasis on family, what if you are alone—by choice or otherwise?

Consider spending Christmas Day alone as an opportunity for self-care and personal activities you enjoy, such as treating it like any other day, embracing solitude, and doing a mix of reflective, enjoyable, or meaningful tasks you choose. A friend is planning to spend the day alternately sewing dance costumes and playing video games.

And if you want ideas, there are many suggestions online!

From LonerWolf: 51 Things To Do On Christmas – Alone!

From Buzzfeed: 16 Things To Do If You Don’t Go Home For The Holidays

From Workit Health: Alone On Christmas: How To Cope If You Aren’t With Family

From Jodie Gale: 30 Alternatives to a Dysfunctional Family Christmas

Bottom Line: Christmas Day is coming, no matter what. Find a way to make the most of it—maybe start your own tradition!

WHAT PEOPLE WILL DO FOR MONEY

Posted on December 16, 2025December 22, 2025 by vlaw759

It’s the time of year when many—most?—people would like to have a bit more money. Or a lot. Besides taking another job, selling their souls to corporate overlords, hustling for more tips, or panhandling, what are people doing?

There’s Always Selling Something

Lots of people sell online, everything from “pre-owned” clothes to collectibles of all sorts (think depression era glass or carved wooden pigs).

Selling Parts of Yourself

Of course, your first thought would probably be for selling items you’ve found or made. But you might start a bit closer to home.

More personally, if you have good hair, you could sell that. Estimates suggest that several million people worldwide participate in hair selling annually, but exact numbers vary. But the human hair market, which includes hair extensions, wigs, and other hair products, is a multi-billion-dollar industry.

Really personally, you could sell spare organs.
- Although selling human organs is illegal in the U.S. and most other countries, some estimates indicate that trafficked organs account for up to 10% of organ transplants performed around the world.
- Kidneys, lungs, and liver come to mind. Humans can live with one kidney or one lung, and a healthy liver will regenerate from the part remaining after a transplant.
Sell your plasma ($150-700/mo according to online sources).
Sell sperm to a sperm bank
“Rent” your womb as a surrogate mother
With no medical intervention, you could sell feet or hand images, posting pictures on sites like Instafeet or Feetify

Turn Trash into Treasure

It’s amazing what people throw away!

Haunt the neighborhood on trash collecting day or visit dumps. Salvage sellable items, clean, and resell.
If you are artsy/crafty – turn found items into works of art and sell them at local fairs, etc.
If you garden, sell plant cuttings, cullings, and seedlings.
Collect cans and bottles and sell to a recycling center.
Sell cockroaches or crickets to pet stores as food for larger animals.
Check the change in your pocket for rare coins that might be worth more than their face value.

Essentially, if you have it, you can (try to) sell it.

Sell Your Services

If you don’t have things to sell, you might be able to sell your time and skills.

Talent Required

This time of year, help people decorate for Christmas (or do the whole job).
Help with course materials via OneClass
Participate in online mock juries
Beta test video games, phone apps, and computer programs
Act as a Notary Public (for spending cash, it won’t pay your bills)
Substitute as a teacher at local schools
If you are mechanically inclined, you could hire out your handyman services
Create websites for independent businesses or freelancers
Be a photographer or videographer for weddings and parties
Work temporary gigs for events, such as catering, DJ-ing, set-up and break-down, or security
Be a professional hugger
- In CA and NYC, you could earn over $150/hour!
Phone sex operator
Model for art classes
Referee seasonal sports—if you have the skill and stamina! (And the patience to stand up to upset players or coaches)

Time Required

Even if you feel you have no marketable skills, there are still ways to make a quick buck.

Be a “line sitter”
- When there’s a high demand ticketed event, go to the venue and offer to wait in line for someone—for whatever fee the traffic will bear.

Take drugs!
- Participate in paid clinical trials for pharmaceuticals or other treatments. If you’re relatively healthy and not taking med/drugs, you can qualify for some drug trials. You’ll have to review them carefully because some things you just don’t want to mess with while others are relatively similar to drug trials.
Volunteer for testing medical devices/smartwatches that measure blood pressure and/or blood oxygen.
- Each session generally lasts 60-90 minutes, could pay hundreds of dollars, and only requires giving a small amount of blood. Participation is typically limited to 2x per month.
Dog/cat/house sitting
- If you stay at peoples’ houses with their animals, you could be paid more, up to $80/night.
Take paid surveys
Remove lice from peoples’ heads
Move things to/from storage units
Garbage can cleaning—or other basic but gross jobs
Deliver local magazine monthly (could be $150-250/month)
Sign your kids up for research studies (e.g., get paid for letting a researcher watch your kids play)

…Other

And then there are a few options that I just couldn’t categorize:

Watch for class-action lawsuits and join when you qualify.
Rent out your backyard for campers.
Found a new religion and demand tithes from all your new followers.
Compete in interesting competitions (eating, writing, shooting basketballs, etc.) for cash prizes.
Create community/local nude calendar. Lakeview, OR, did this to raise money for snow removal (Wall Street Journal,12/11/25).
Sell tickets to your wedding. (Personally, I’d label this incredibly rude, gross, and financially stupid!) YouTube had a viral posting about a couple who invited 350 people to their wedding at a cost of $333 per person—including family! Only 60 people attended.
Closely related: The Wall Street Journal (again,12/9/25) featured an article, The Lavish Weddings Where Crashers Are Welcome—for a Fee. Apparently there is a website that invites tourists (or others) to attend an Indian wedding, $150 for one day, $250 for multi-day celebrations.

Check out this Buzzfeed article for more suggestions and personal stories.

Bottom Line: Where there’s a will, there’s a way! Search online for novel ideas that suit your situation and inclinations.

THE DOWN SIDE OF GIVING

Posted on December 9, 2025December 9, 2025 by vlaw759

I know it’s counter to the expectations of the season. Besides Giving Tuesday, many organizations (including our local CBS news) are in the midst of a month of giving. Culturally, giving is a good thing. But it isn’t purely positive.

Giving Opens Floodgates

My motivation for writing this blog is the deluge of text messages, emails, and snail mails asking for money. I’m steeped in the downside of giving: once you are on a list, you are doomed.

The organization or cause you originally donated to seeks more frequent and/or bigger donations.

Selling mailing lists can generate lots of revenue. Once an organization has a list of reliable donors, they often sell that list to other entities. Donors are then inundated with with requests for further donations to entirely new organizations!

Donations to political candidates trigger requests from other candidates in the same party. These can come from all over the country. Supporting a candidate at the national level opens you up to solicitations from state and local candidates—not necessarily your own state or locale!

Some solicitations come with a “free gift” to create guilt or an obligation to donate. Often these gifts are of poor quality or completely useless to the recipient. One organization sent me so many free gifts that I doubted how much of my donation was actually going to forward the stated mission. I stopped donating to that group altogether.

Responding to a mail solicitation can trigger follow-up phone calls as well.

Giving ’til It Hurts!

Once, I volunteered my time and professional know-how for a set number of hours on set days per week. That morphed into requests for special events and monetary contributions. I doubt I’m alone in this experience.

I’m currently voluntarily teaching a memoir class a few times per year. Fortunately, I enjoy it. There is considerable social pressure to continue doing so.

When I searched this topic online, I found that giving can have negative effects on the donor, including financial strain and instability, high tax burdens, loss of personal wealth, emotional guilt and anxiety, burnout and compassion fatigue, and neglect of personal relationships, potentially weakening social cohesion and exacerbating inequality if generosity creates donor-recipient hierarchies. In short, I learned that there are more serious drawbacks than the irritation factor that started me down this path.

AI: FRIEND OR FOE?

Posted on December 2, 2025December 1, 2025 by vlaw759

Whatever your answer, the importance of Artificial Intelligence can’t be overstated. AI is all over print and other media, here to stay. Are we benefitting or suffering?

True confession: I started off feeling negative about AI for purposes other than searching for information.

AI for Prolific Writing

One of my favorite forms of escapist reading is Pride and Prejudice fan fiction. Recently I read several books by Rachelle Ayala. Pretty entertaining. I usually gave her four out of five stars. I marveled at her productivity. When I looked at all her publications, Kindle came up with 715 titles! I discovered multiple books in multiple series. And then I saw these two titles: Love by the Prompt: A Romance Writer’s Guide to AI-Powered Writing; and An AI Writer’s Journal: From 0 to 70000 in 14 Days.

My knee-jerk reaction was to vow never to read another of her books. In my opinion, her practices were equivalent to plagiarism: claiming another’s thoughts or ideas as one’s own. I didn’t actually read those two books, but I investigated a bit more. Ayala says, “I am a romance author of over 140 books with two additional pen-names ‘Clare Chu’ (Humor) and ‘Bella Vex’ (Horror).” It turns out that Rachelle Ayala is an award-winning USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Should I eschew better-than-average entertainment because I don’t approve of the method?

And going forward, how will I know?

Risks of AI Writing Careers

Looking into AI and writing a bit more, I read a recent Wall Street Journal article (11/22/25) profiling two sisters, an auto mechanic and a struggling writer. AI isn’t threatening the former career. Of the latter, “In moments of doubt, Sophia has considered a fallback plan, which was to get certification in AI prompt writing.” But she might need a fallback for her fallback: that once-hot job has been rendered obsolete as AI has become better at understanding poorly written prompts. She concluded, “I’m not at the point yet where I’m willing to compromise writing full-time.”

In truth, writers can use AI in ways I (for one) consider legitimate.

A brief search online turned up the following suggestions for ways a writer can use AI, allowing more time for the creative aspects of writing:

Automate tasks like research and data analysis
Improve grammar and spelling
Generate word choices
Draft and enhance content
Translate audio to text or vice versa for accessibility
Brainstorm creative ideas
Create personalized or supplementary material such as video content or internal communications

Personally, I doubt AI will ever generate works comparable to Shakespeare (or Jane Austen). But as the father of the daughters profiled in the WSJ article put it, “At my company, they say you won’t be replaced by AI, but you might be replaced by someone who knows AI better than you do.”

Although my focus is writing—creative writing—I’m aware of ways teachers can use AI to personalize teaching plans. In addition, according to my reading, AI can enhance healthcare delivery, improve disaster response, enable predictive analytics for government services to be more efficient, assist in cancer screening, expand access to social welfare processes, and empower underrepresented communities by addressing social challenges and driving targeted, data-driven solutions.

Downsides of AI

So why not embrace AI with open arms?

The process of training AI programs involves feeding massive amounts of data into the system. Companies have procured that data through copyright infringements, privacy violations, and wholesale scraping of the data of people who may not even be aware of it. Many authors are now including warnings at the end of their books that they do not consent to the use of their work to train AI. Every result from an AI program, including silly videos, audio deepfakes, AI therapists, machine-generated music, insurance claim denials, and medical screening, ultimately relies on the input of humans, whether they consented or not.

AI programs also require vast amounts of computing power, which in turn requires huge data centers, staggering amounts of energy, and massive cooling systems. A single question asked in ChatGPT uses ten times as much electricity as the same question asked in a web browser. Communities near data centers often face water shortages, skyrocketing electricity costs, constant industrial noise, and pollution endangering the health of local residents.

*Google Data Center, Council Bluffs Iowa*

Research also indicates that, while students who rely excessively on AI may “get the right answer” more quickly, they are less likely to remember the rationale over time. I fear over-dependence on AI will dull human problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and creativity.

And my AI generated response to this query: “Possible negatives of AI include bias in algorithms due to human input, high implementation costs and potential degradation over time, unemployment and workforce disruption, reliability and accuracy concerns, misalignment with use cases leading to ineffective outputs, lowered information integrity, risk of misleading results, and broader societal harms if systems are unfair or unsafe.”

Bottom Line: AI is friend AND foe.

GIVING THANKS AROUND THE WORLD (Part 3: The West and Beyond)

Posted on November 25, 2025November 25, 2025 by vlaw759

In this last blog of the giving thanks series, I’ll focus mainly on the Americas and nearby islands, but with a P.S. related to American history.

Indigenous North Americans

Centuries before Europeans landed at Plymouth Rock or Newfoundland, agricultural communities along the Eastern seaboard held annual harvest celebrations every year. Though the details varied among tribes and climates, all involved giving thanks for a successful harvest and making preparations for the coming winter.

People preserved food they’d grown or gathered, such as cattails, corn, pawpaws, pumpkins, and fish. They also repaired and reinforced structures to face the coming winter weather. Festivities included music, dancing, and games.

Puerto Rico

After Puerto Rico became a territory of the United States in the late 19th century, its residents adopted many of the traditions of the American holiday, blending them with Puerto Rican culture. The focus is on a Thanksgiving meal that fuses flavors from both cuisines, with large family gatherings. Puerto Ricans celebrate Thanksgiving on the same day as Americans (the fourth Thursday in November).

But Puerto Ricans have put their own twist on the traditional Thanksgiving Day feast: there’s usually turkey—whether a roasted, seasoned pavochón or a turkey stuffed with mofongo (a mashed plantain dish)—but roast pork is also often on the menu, accompanied with more plantains, rice, and beans. Many Puerto Ricans embrace the same Black Friday shopping frenzy on the following day, and Christmas preparations also start around then.

Canadian Thanksgiving

Like its US counterpart, the first European Canadian Thanksgiving brought Canadian pilgrims together to give thanks for their new lives in the New World. This celebration took place in 1578, when English explorer Martin Frobisher held a feast in what’s now Nunavut to give thanks for the safety of his fleet. This feast actually pre-dated the first American Thanksgiving. (Historians believe that the first American Thanksgiving took place in 1621, over 40 years later.)

*Many Canadian communities hold harvest fairs at Thanksgiving.*

Today, Canadian Thanksgiving takes place on the second Monday of October. (First officially recognized in 1879 (November 6), it was moved to the second Monday in October in 1957.) Much like the U.S., it’s a time for gratitude, reflection, and delicious food shared with loved ones.

While Indigenous peoples had long celebrated harvest festivals, it was Loyalists who moved to Canada from the American colonies during the Revolutionary War who introduced turkey, along with some of the other customs from the American Thanksgiving we’re familiar with today. Pumpkin pie, stuffing, and sweet potatoes would certainly be familiar, though traditional poutine (french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy) sometimes appears as well.

Of course, Canada’s Thanksgiving comes with a Canadian twist—think butter tarts and the Canadian Football League’s Thanksgiving Day Classic.

Mexico: Día de Acción de Gracias

Many communities in Mexico gather to distribute food on *Día de Acción de Gracias*

With a regional twist on traditional American Thanksgiving dishes, such as mole poblano and tamales, apple pie empanadas and turkey enchiladas, many Mexicans embrace the spirit of giving thanks while spending time with family and friends. Because Mexico is so close to the United States climate-wise, Día de Acción de Gracias usually occurs on the same day as American Thanksgiving.

While not widely celebrated throughout Mexico, some cities host small community events and tourists-targeted activities, while others observe religious services and harvest celebrations. Traditions may include Mexican elements such as piñatas or pan de muerto, reflecting a non-traditional but increasingly observed blend of customs. As more families travel to and from Mexico during the holiday season, Thanksgiving observances are spreading to more parts of the country.

Brazil: Dia de Ação de Graças

Brazilian Thanksgiving (Dia de Ação de Graças in Portuguese) follows the American tradition of a harvest feast on the fourth Thursday in November. It became a national Brazilian holiday in 1949 as a way to unify the Brazilian people. The Brazilian ambassador to the U.S. saw Americans enjoying a day of eating delicious food and giving thanks and decided that Brazilians should do the same. It’s been an unofficial holiday ever since.

Brazil is the only country in South America that celebrates Thanksgiving.

Though still not widely celebrated in Brazil, Dia de Ação de Graças is catching on each year. A Thanksgiving feast in Brazil includes many American staples, including turkey (known as peru in Portuguese), mashed potatoes (purê de batatas), and apple pie (torta de maçã). Brazilian specialties, such as the country’s national dish, feijoada, might make an appearance as well. Besides food and family, there are parades and church services to give thanks.

Thanksgiving in Barbados

The people of Barbados celebrate Thanksgiving with a Crop Over festival at the end of the sugarcane harvest. This is typically held at the end of July through early August. This is a 300-year-old tradition that goes back to those who worked on sugarcane plantations and celebrated the harvest season. The celebrations include dancing, eating, and games.

Crop Over festivities begin with a ceremonial delivery of the Last Canes and crowning the Festival King and Queen. During Cohobblopot, Kadooment bands showcase their skills, and calypsonians perform to huge audiences. Local businesses offer their wares at the Bridgertown Market and sponsor calypso tents. Kadooment Day, the final day of the celebration, culminates in a carnival parade, with huge floats, elaborate dance troupes, and competing calypso bands.

Grenada West Indies

Every October 25, people on this West Indian island celebrate their own Thanksgiving Day, which marks the anniversary of a joint Caribbean and U.S. military invasion of Grenada in 1983. The troops’ arrival restored order after an army coup ousted and executed Maurice Bishop, Grenada’s socialist leader, and put the island under martial law.

While stationed on the West Indian island that fall, U.S. soldiers told local citizens about the upcoming American holiday and some of its traditions. To show their own gratitude, many people in towns and villages hosting the soldiers invited them to dine and celebrate with them, even surprising the soldiers with such non-native island foods as turkey, cranberry, and potatoes. Today, the Grenadian Thanksgiving features formal ceremonies of remembrance in the cities, but largely goes unmarked in more rural areas.

Liberian Thanksgiving

In the 1820s, free Blacks from American purchased Cape Mesurado and settled in the new colony of Liberia. In the 1880s, the Liberian government adopted the first Thursday in November as Thanksgiving, to express gratitude for the year’s blessings. (Unlike Thanksgiving events in other parts of the world, Liberian Thanksgiving isn’t a harvest festival; their harvests are often over by November.) Because English is the primary language of Liberia, celebrants greet each other with “Happy Thanksgiving!”

*Students at a religious Thanksgiving service*

Liberian Thanksgiving combines American traditions with religious rituals to thank God for blessings from the year, including food, health, and good weather. Today, it’s a largely Christian holiday. After services, churches auction off baskets filled with local fruits like papayas and mangoes.

The typical meal consists of a bird (sometimes chicken) with plenty of spices as well as mashed cassava and other traditional West African foods like jollof rice (similar to Cajun jambalaya) or fufu (cassava dough served with meat stew).

Celebrations are lively, marked by food but also music, dancing, and a deep sense of community.

Bottom Line: As these examples attest, giving thanks isn’t the province solely of the United States. Try pursue the topic of giving thanks in Israel, Ghana, Rwanda, and any other locations that interest you.

GIVING THANKS AROUND THE WORLD (Part 2: Europe)

Posted on November 18, 2025November 18, 2025 by vlaw759

Giving thanks is everywhere, even though others call their thanksgiving by other names, and celebrate on different dates. This blog will focus on our European cousins.

(Check out last week’s blog on how people in Asia celebrate giving thanks!)

United Kingdom: Harvest Home

*Baking, canning, and flower contests at a Harvest Home celebration in Chew Stoke*

The UK celebrates a harvest festival, also known as Harvest Home. People, particularly in rural villages, celebrate on the Sunday closest to the Harvest Moon – usually in late September or early October. The tradition dates back centuries, with origins in pagan rituals, when communities gathered to celebrate the successful bringing in of crops. In the past, the timing of the festival varied depending on when the harvest was ready, with the whole community, including children, helping until the last load of crops arrived.

“In 1957, there was 120lb cheddar cheese to be consumed and a 6’ x 2’ harvest loaf, which was borne aloft on the shoulders of six men” in the Somerset village of East Brent.

Modern Harvest Home festivals feature a feast of autumn crops and vegetables, as well as food donations and church services, keeping alive the spirit of gratitude for the season’s bounty.

Some say both US and Canadian Thanksgiving have roots in the United Kingdom’s annual Harvest Home. At the least, this tradition has to have influenced the origins of Thanksgiving in both the US and Canada, brought over by British immigrants.

Netherlands: Dankdag

Before leaving for the New World, English immigrants lived and worked for several years in the Netherlands, in the town of Leiden. About 40% of the Mayflower passengers spent over a decade (1609 to 1620) living in this Dutch city before heading to Massachusetts. Some even believe the Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving was inspired by Leiden’s annual celebration of breaking the Spanish siege in 1574.

*Harvest table at a church in Van Halland*

They brought many of their customs to their new (temporary) home, including the practice of expressing gratitude for a successful fall harvest.

While Thanksgiving isn’t an official holiday, many restaurants offer special meals. Dankdag is still celebrated in Leiden. Citizens enjoy an American-style Thanksgiving dinner after a church service at Pieterskerk. The city of Leiden also honors its historic ties by holding non-denominational church services at Pieterskerk every fourth Thursday of November!

And if they live near Beschuitsteeg, they can explore the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum as a tribute to their long friendship with the pilgrims.

Germany: Erntedankfest

Like Britain and many other European countries, Germany celebrates the first major harvest of the season with a big festival. Erntedankfest (“thanks for the harvest fest”) doesn’t have an official date. This religious holiday often takes place on the first Sunday in October, which is often also the first Sunday following Michaelistag (Michaelmas) on September 29. Different places celebrate the occasion on various dates in September and October, but it typically takes place between early October and late November depending on the region, sometimes coinciding with Martinstag (St. Martin’s Day).

*Erntedankfest decorations at a church in Oberösterreich*

Erntedankfest is a community affair, often held outdoors or in churches rather than homes. It’s a lively gathering filled with parades, music, and tables laden with such hearty fare as die Masthühnchen (fattened-up chickens) or der Kapaun (castrated roosters), geese, hearty stews, fresh-baked bread, and local brews. There are plenty of traditional foods and seasonal produce. Colorful decorations like cornucopias are typical. There are also church services to begin the celebration, with lantern parades planned for the evening.

Though rural areas tend to take the harvest festival more literally, many churches in German cities also join in on the celebration, giving thanks for the good fortune their congregations experienced that year. During a typical Erntedankfest, celebrants carry an Erntekrone (“harvest crown”) of grains, fruit and flowers to the church in a solemn procession.

Though it’s more common in rural areas, many Germans observe Erntedankfest through televised events, connecting to their agricultural roots from afar.

Other German-speaking countries, such as Austria and Switzerland, also celebrate Erntedankfest to observe the autumn harvest. Erntedankfest traditions include parades, church services, concerts, fireworks, and a harvest feast, where turkey (Truthahn) is a holiday dinner favorite.

Poland: Dożynki

The Polish harvest festival, Dożynki, dates back to the 16th century when landowners shared the bounty of the harvest with the land’s workers. The historical celebration included dancing, feasting, and crafting harvest wreaths to ensure fertility for the next harvest.

The word Dożynki literally means “last sheaves.”

Today, the festival still includes feasts and harvest wreaths. Modern Dożynki celebrations incorporate religious elements, including a pilgrimage to Jasna Góra in Częstochowa. Many Polish celebrants dress in traditional outfits as they share in the harvest.

Thanksgiving in Rome

Italians do not have a national holiday that celebrates American Thanksgiving. However, plenty of Italians toast the holiday with their expat friends and family at a home or restaurant.

*Not a modern depiction of Cerealia, but the sentiment is the same!*

In addition, Rome celebrates a harvest festival known as Cerealia. This honors Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, grain, and the love a mother bears for her child. (FYI: In ancient Greek religion Demeter is the goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. She also appeared as a goddess of health, birth, and marriage.) Cerealia occurs every year on October 4th. Roman custom is to present fruits, grains, and animals to the goddess in appreciation. Parades and music are also part of the celebration.

Bottom Line: Celebrations of giving thanks in Europe share roots of giving thanks for food, much like our Thanksgiving.