Erntedankfest

Is there a Thanksgiving in Germany?

Celebrations to give thanks are not new.  Even the ancient civilizations held celebrations for thanksgiving.  In Germany this is called Erntedankfest.

The word means ‘Harvest Thanks Festival’ and is in most ways equivalent to our Thanksgiving holiday.  In Germany, it is a festival that is usually observed on the first Sunday of October following Michaelmas, which is celebrated on September 29th.  It is a festival celebrated in the churches just as much as throughout the main streets of the town.  In fact the day begins with church services.   There are normally prayer services and processions which display the bounty until it is delivered in the decorated town squares.  Often the church celebration may last the entire day with services, processions, music, dancing and lots of Gemütlichkeit.  The evening ends with a lantern parade and fireworks.

Even though some of the US traditions have caught on in Europe, especially the turkey replacing the goose, some have not.  Erntedankfest is not the big feasting family day.

Keep in mind that the US didn’t really start celebrating Thanksgiving until 1941 when then President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill creating the national holiday.