This Is How 15 Countries Around The World Celebrate Thanksgiving

Israel

Wikimedia CommonsA rendering of Jewish people participating in Sukkot prayers.

As has probably become evident, most agriculture-based civilizations celebrate some form of a harvest festival whereupon the gift of food and life is celebrated. Israel has their own as well, and it’s known as Sukkot, or the Feast of the Tabernacles.

The celebration lasts for seven days and begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. When the celebration falls on the western calendar varies, but Sukkot typically happens sometime between the months of September and October. It comes five days after Yom Kippur— the Hebrew high holiday.

In addition to the harvest, Sukkot also commemorates the protection that God bestowed upon the Jewish people when they left Egypt for Israel.

During the seven days of Sukkot, all meals are eaten in open-cieling, wooden booths called sukkahs. The outdoor structures commemorate the temporary dwellings in which the Jewish people lived while on their journey to Israel.

Special prayers and psalms are read at different points during the seven-day celebration, and everyone is encouraged to spend as much time in their sukkah as possible.

Sukkot is perhaps the Thanksgiving holiday that is most heavily influenced by religion, but it is nonetheless a celebration of the same central themes as all of these holidays and festivals: food, family, and thankfulness.

After this look at which countries celebrate Thanksgiving around the world, check out these awesome vintage photos from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Then, read this story about all of the tragic Black Friday Deaths that have happened over the years.

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