All the excitement of the American Thanksgiving holiday is over. This year I tried to simplify my table setting. I ran a lovely fall-hued ribbon down the 
center of the table and one crossing it in the middle. I placed a bowl of white and orange striped small pumpkins in the middle and had cream-colored candles on either side of the bowl. I planned on using my mother’s china, cream-colored with a light design and narrow gold along the rim. I bought some large gold service plates, hoping they would contain the crumbs from my grandchildren’s plates and keep the white tablecloth clean. In reality, my husband and adult son were the messy eaters! The table looked pretty, and I am sharing a picture of it with you.
To complete my grandson’s Thanksgiving, I made him little “pumpkin pies in a jar, ” which he had requested. My goal was for it to be plant-based. At the grocery store, I found a package of vanilla pudding labeled “keto.” It contained erythritol and stevia as sweeteners, but did not have an excessively sugary taste. I mixed it with unsweetened almond milk (the directions said 3/4 of a cup, but I used a whole cup), about 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree, and some pumpkin pie spice. I put this in a small canning jar and chilled it in the refrigerator. Just before serving, I topped it with vegan whipped cream (not low in calories, but not containing dairy). My grandson was very happy with his special thanksgiving dessert.
Fall is a time of celebration and Thanksgiving for the harvest in many cultures and countries besides the U.S.A.
Canadian Thanksgiving takes place in October. It is often celebrated with some planned outdoor activities before the Canadian winter sets in. The original Canadian Thanksgiving pre-dates the one at the Plymouth Colony by 43 years. It occurred in 1578 to express thanks for explorers’ safe voyages into the new world.
One of the most famous fall festivals is Oktoberfest in Germany. The largest is in Munich, with 18 days of drinking local beers, eating, dancing, and singing. The local beers have been dependent on a good hops harvest.
Diwali is the Indian “Festival of Lights,” celebrated on the darkest night of October or November. It commemorates the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and blessings of victory, freedom, and enlightenment. Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and some Buddhists celebrate this holiday.
China has the “Moon Festival” (also known as the “Mid-Autumn” or the ” Mooncake Festival”), which is also celebrated by other Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Its purpose is to celebrate the rice harvest. It occurs at the time of the full moon between September and October, the time we Westerners call the “Harvest Moon.” It is a time of gathering, thanksgiving, and prayer. There are thanks for the harvest and prayers that the harvest-giving light will return in the coming year. It is traditional to prepare special cakes for the celebration, thus the “Mooncake Festival.”
In Thailand, the two “Lantern Festivals,” also known as the “Thai Festivals of Light,” are the “Yi Peng Festival” and the “Loi Krathong Festival.” They occur on the full moon day in November. You have likely seen pictures of the Yi Peng Festival, when hundreds of lighted lanterns get released into the night sky. The Loi Krathong sends thousands of lotus-shaped baskets with candles and flowers floating on the rivers all night. The lights are symbols of new beginnings, good luck, and abundance in the coming year.
In Korea, the harvest festival is known as “Chuseok,” “Hangawi” or “Autumn’s Eve” and occurs at the time of the fall equinox. Families gather at their ancestral homes to celebrate with their families, honor their ancestors, and give thanks for the harvest.
The Jewish “Festival of the Ingathering,” Harvest Festival,” or “The Feast of Tabernacles,” known as Sukkot, celebrates the gathering of the harvest and the protection that God provided the children of Israel when they left Egypt.
When our children were young, we used to say we wanted to give them roots and wings. I think all these different harvest-oriented festivals offer families worldwide the opportunity to give their children a sense of roots and belonging. Family traditions and rituals make a day or days special. Tradition helps make families feel connected to one another and to older and deceased family members.
I hope your Thanksgiving was festive and that you and your family had a sense of roots.
