While the reasons and traditions may vary, thanksgiving celebrations are popular the world over. And expressing gratitude is good for health and happiness as well.
An Experiment in Gratitude - This 7-minute video offers research-based insights into the meaning of gratitude for the health and happiness of individuals and communities. I find the narrator a bit annoying, but the people sharing their stories are worth it. For a deeper dive into this topic, see: The Power of Gratitude and Appreciation.
A Story About Gratitude - What are you grateful for? This 5-minute video puts the question in unexpected perspective.
Native American Harvest Feasts Before Thanksgiving - Indigenous Peoples in the Western Hemisphere have long had festivals of thanks, from Homecomings and Pow Wows to Potlatches.
Giving Thanks: 5 Traditions Around the Globe - This list doesn't exactly cover the world, but it highlights some lesser-known celebrations of thanks.
10 Thanksgiving Celebrations Outside America - The spirit of "Thanksgiving" has expressions in many varied festivals around the world. Keep the celebrating going with 7 Harvest Festivals Around the World that Make Thanksgiving Look Boring.
The Invention of (American) Thanksgiving - This 5-minute video from the National Museum of the American Indian offers an American Indian's personal exploration of the deep connection between the Thanksgiving Day holiday, American Indians, and America's image of itself. Watch to the end to get his final take. Put the video in a wider context with this short essay by another American Indian who asked Native friends this question: Do American Indians Celebrate Thanksgiving?
Simple Thanksgiving Activity - This 2-minute video from the National Museum of the American Indian expresses the Native spirit of thanksgiving. Don't be scared off by the "classroom activity" title - anyone can enjoy this and it's a good intergenerational activity.
If You Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving, You Owe It to Mexico - Domesticated in what is now Mexico, the Spanish conquistadors took domesticated turkeys to Europe, where the fowls spread eventually to many countries. Related story here.
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