Thanksgiving is essentially a harvest
related festival. It celebrates communal harmony. Though it is said to
have been originated in America, a number of other countries celebrate
harvest related festivals. They are observed with different names and in
different seasons.
Harvest related festivals, all the over the world are characterized
with lot of fun and merrymaking. Each region has its unique customs and
traditions to jubilate the occasion.
Canada celebrates thanksgiving on the second Monday in the month of
October. India also has a number of harvest related festivals in
different regions. Popular regional festivals are Pongal, Baisakhi,
Lohri, Onam etc. Though the underlying principle behind each of them is
same, every festival is exclusive and different from the other.
Other Asian countries such as China, Malaysia, Korea celebrate the
festival on different dates. Each festival has a folklore attached to
it. Harmony, peace, feeling gratitude is the underlying theme of the
celebration all over.
