Happy Thanksgiving!

[Bdoomed]

   Hope everyone here in the states has a great one!
I, for one, am about to chow down, and I am HUNGRY!

oh, and it's also Slapsgiving!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqpPFT-F-bs

[Talia]

EVERY DAY is slapsgiving around my place.

Since I live alone, this gets awkward.

[wakela]

Kind of interesting how this is one US holiday that other countries don't seem very keen on adopting.  And it's one that Americans seem to complain the least about (according to a sampling of Facebook posts). 

And by "other countries" I mean Japan (where I live). 

I know that Thanksgiving has its roots in American history, but Christmas has its roots in Christianity (yes, I know it's origins are older), and the Japanese are more than happy to put up Christmas lights and buy presents.  Santa decorations and Christmas music are already in the shops (Jesus, not so much).  They do odd versions of Halloween and Valentine's Day, too.  But no Thanksgiving.  A reasonable explanation is that the more commercial holidays are more readily exported.  But it seems that Thanksgiving is the nicest, most wholesome one*, and would be the most pleasant one to adopt. 

I'm not saying everyone should celebrate Thanksgiving.  But people seem to be bending over backwards to celebrate holidays that are more trouble and less pleasant.  As long as they're at it, take a day off, throw a turkey in the oven, and tell your friends and family you're happy they're around.  Done and done. 

I have no experience with European holidays, it's silly to say that Europe imported Christmas from the US, but do they import American traditions?  The fat Santa versus the skinny Santa?  Or was he fat before?  What about Halloween?


*I don't have a reference, but I read that the Pilgrims enjoyed peaceful coexistence with the Native Americans.  The harsh treatment of the NAs came later and from different groups.  Set me straight if I'm wrong. 

[lowky]

Kind of interesting how this is one US holiday that other countries don't seem very keen on adopting.  And it's one that Americans seem to complain the least about (according to a sampling of Facebook posts). 

And by "other countries" I mean Japan (where I live). 


I'm not saying everyone should celebrate Thanksgiving.  But people seem to be bending over backwards to celebrate holidays that are more trouble and less pleasant.  As long as they're at it, take a day off, throw a turkey in the oven, and tell your friends and family you're happy they're around.  Done and done. 

Well not sure about Japan, but here in China you don't find ovens, most restaurants don't have them, very very very few homes have them.  Also Turkey is an American bird.  It may be able to be spread to the other countries, but they are not native.  They are native to North America.  Therefore Turkey is very expensive.  I have yet to find anyone I have met here who has ever had turkey.  Most think it is just a big chicken.

*I don't have a reference, but I read that the Pilgrims enjoyed peaceful coexistence with the Native Americans.  The harsh treatment of the NAs came later and from different groups.  Set me straight if I'm wrong. 

From some things I have read it wasn't all that long, within a few years and from the same group of people, just they had more pressure on them due to new immigrants to their community as well.  So instead of receiving a gift from the NAs, they just took what they wanted.

search for the quoted text below here  It's supposed to come from some native american group.  YMMV as it is the internet after all.

   

NOVEMBER 24, THURSDAY - US THANKSGIVING

"THE TRUTH ABOUT THE FIRST NATIVE PEOPLES OF THE AMERICAS"
Opening Statement, Thanksgiving Special, 2005

[Talia]

Well, Thanksgiving relates specifically to a historical incident in the U.S.'s history, while Christmas loosely refers to an event that took place in Jerusalem, with wide-reaching consequences that affected a good part of the world.

So Thanksgiving is much more of a "local" holiday as it were.

I am sure Japan has some holidays which celebrate similar things - family, etc.

Also, its likely marketing has some hand in it, you can make a lot of money at Xmas time, not so much at Thanksgiving (except for food retailers!), so its motivation for marketers to push Christmas in countries that aren't particularly Christian.

[eytanz]

Well, Thanksgiving relates specifically to a historical incident in the U.S.'s history, while Christmas loosely refers to an event that took place in Jerusalem, with wide-reaching consequences that affected a good part of the world.

I think you mean Bethlahem, not Jerusalem.

I'm kind of amused by your description, especially since I grew up near Jerusalem and everything that happens there always seems more local to me than stuff that happens anywhere else in the world (even though I now live quite far away from there).

[Talia]

Well, Thanksgiving relates specifically to a historical incident in the U.S.'s history, while Christmas loosely refers to an event that took place in Jerusalem, with wide-reaching consequences that affected a good part of the world.

I think you mean Bethlahem, not Jerusalem.

I'm kind of amused by your description, especially since I grew up near Jerusalem and everything that happens there always seems more local to me than stuff that happens anywhere else in the world (even though I now live quite far away from there).

Oh quite right, quite right. I misspoke.

[Bdoomed]

Bethlahem, Jerusalem, same difference.

[Portrait in Flesh]

Back when I briefly lived in the UK in the early 90s, the local postmaster once asked me what Thanksgiving was.  My reply was more or less along the lines of it's supposed to be a day for families to get together and think about what they're thankful for and stuff, but really it's more of just a trigger for the Christmas shopping season.

At least it was at the time...that particular gun seems to be put to our head earlier and earlier each year.

[Portrait in Flesh]

Bethlahem, Jerusalem, same difference.

I'm still waiting for Stephen King's 'Ahem's Lot to come out, where you end up with a bunch of emo vampires slouching around sighing in angst and...

...oh, wait, scratch that idea.

[wakela]

Well done, Portrait in Flesh.  Two LOLs in a row. 

Kind of interesting how this is one US holiday that other countries don't seem very keen on adopting.  And it's one that Americans seem to complain the least about (according to a sampling of Facebook posts). 

And by "other countries" I mean Japan (where I live). 


I'm not saying everyone should celebrate Thanksgiving.  But people seem to be bending over backwards to celebrate holidays that are more trouble and less pleasant.  As long as they're at it, take a day off, throw a turkey in the oven, and tell your friends and family you're happy they're around.  Done and done. 

Well not sure about Japan, but here in China you don't find ovens, most restaurants don't have them, very very very few homes have them.  Also Turkey is an American bird.  It may be able to be spread to the other countries, but they are not native.  They are native to North America.  Therefore Turkey is very expensive.  I have yet to find anyone I have met here who has ever had turkey.  Most think it is just a big chicken.

[/quote]
Should have thought of that.  Japan has few ovens too, but we have one so I forgot.  Japanese know what a cooked turkey looks like from American movies, but they have no image of a live one.  You can get a turkey here, but they're small and expensive, mostly for the expats.  We do a Thanksgiving party every year and cook one, and the Japanese pick at it, say it's interesting, and then dive back into the sushi.

[Portrait in Flesh]

Well done, Portrait in Flesh.  Two LOLs in a row.

The zombie manger's my current work wallpaper.  I'm waiting for January to bring out my killer snowmen one.

[Boggled Coriander]

For Americans who live within the Chinese cultural sphere, decent Beijing duck makes an excellent substitute for turkey.

...I think so, anyway.