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
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.
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 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.
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.