Do you have to be American to have thanksgiving?

bufger
bufger Posts: 763 Member
in Motivation and Support
So i'm British. My best friend married a girl from Mahwah, NJ and they both live here in the UK.

They have kindly invited my Wife and I to Thanksgiving dinner and we've excepted because its nice to be considered such close friends that they'd like to celebrate with us. The problem (or not really a problem) for me is that I recognise Thanksgiving as an American celebration with friends and family to give thanks to their forefathers. Its also a celebration of the end of Harvest which for us was ages ago.. I have plenty to be thankful for including these friends but it doesnt stop me from feeling slightly out of place?!

What does thanksgiving mean to you? do you think you have to be American/Canadian to really celebrate thanksgiving?
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Replies

  • ErinGBragh
    ErinGBragh Posts: 183 Member
    I don't think so. If I had the chance to try out other countries' cultures and traditions, I definitely would. I think it would be a lot of fun to do and a great experience. Most people don't really emphasize giving thanks to the forefathers (though we do recognize that), it's more about being grateful for what you have in your life.
  • 294Rich
    294Rich Posts: 171 Member
    I suppose it's like being invited to a Diwali party. I'd go, and enjoy it, even if isn't usually anything I would recognise on the calendar. I went to a Bat Mitzvah recently. It was great - I've never been in a synagogue, and it was a great day for the family.
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
    Thanksgiving in America is more a time to celebrate with a great meal and great company. Go enjoy it! It's a lot of fun.
  • kristen6022
    kristen6022 Posts: 1,923 Member
    Any more in the states Thanksgiving is a reason to gather and eat. So I wouldn't worry about the "meaning" so much. Go, enjoy your friends and eat good food.

    My mom is British and even though when I was growing up (born in Pennsylvania) she tried to adjust to "US" culture, she still has a hard time with it. If it isn't something you grew up with it's not something normal. To this day I usually just gather with my friends near me than travel home for the holiday...Christmas is bigger and we have more "British and US" traditions.
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    No, but by eating the food you would be renouncing your British citizenship.
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
    I've always celebrated it..my dad was a US pilot so we always celebrated, even after he died. I have a dual nationality passport and American birth certificate even though I've lived in England all my life.
  • Anniel88
    Anniel88 Posts: 150 Member
    I see no reason why you should feel out of place for celebrating a tradition outside of your culture. Be thankful for the company and invitation and help enjoy their celebration. Do you feel you have nothing to be thankful for? Thanksgiving to most of us it simply about celebrating a great meal with great company and recognizing what we have to be thankful for. I do not see why that should make you feel out of place with your friends. Because Thanksgiving is more about the company than any sort of history, it'll probably just feel like you're going over to your friends' for dinner to you and that's fine.

    Have a great time!
  • Iron_Maiden
    Iron_Maiden Posts: 326 Member
    No, but by eating the food you would be renouncing your British citizenship.
    LOL!!! Fair point here. If we Americans really dug into the roots of it, we'd be here all day & come up with a historical debate over what really happened waaaay back when.

    Basically - we celebrate what we're thankful for - family, friends, good health etc. Then we all gorge ourselves, fight, get drunk, and maybe play a board game. HAVE FUN! :drinker:
  • Colleen118
    Colleen118 Posts: 491 Member
    You are correct in the meaning of the holiday, but it shouldn't leave you out of place, as the main purpose being Giving Thanks. They are Thankful to have you as such close friends while they are parted from their homeland. They would like to "give Thanks" to you by way of sharing in this holiday with them. Aside from an usually large feast, the time together should feel no different than any get together with them, I wouldn't imagine. Enjoy what you may learn of thier way of celebrating the holdiay, their traditions. The experience is likely to just build your friendship more.

    And Football.... you forgot to mention a day to get together to enjoy a fantastic sport, some making it their tradition to participate in a family version while the feast is being made. Afterward, everyone falls alseep due to the triptephan in the turkey deliciously devored :yawn:

    I sure hope you go and enjoy.
  • VanillaBone
    VanillaBone Posts: 119 Member
    If you feel uncomfortable, just excuse yourself before they sacrifice the traditional goat's kid to the spirit of John Adams. No harm done.

    Seriously though, it's really not about thanking our forefathers; it's about thanking God, and that just barely anymore, so don't sweat it.
  • runfatmanrun
    runfatmanrun Posts: 1,090 Member
    It's really about being thankful for what you have. The family time, gluttony, and delicious food are just added bonuses.

    Plus, I am pretty sure you can eat turkey wherever you want, in whatever country you want, so why not.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    no more then you need to be french to enjoy Bastille Day.
  • TubbsMcGee
    TubbsMcGee Posts: 1,058 Member
    ...America isn't the only country that celebrates a Thanksgiving.
    Canada has one too, but it's in October.
    It's not like you're expected to warship some type of god you don't believe in or anything like that, it's just a holiday designated to spending time with those you love. And eating turkey.
  • PeachyKeene
    PeachyKeene Posts: 1,645 Member
    Thanksgiving has different meanings for everyone. To me, it is about being thankful for all the many blessings I have and have had in my life.
  • IamBlackMamba
    IamBlackMamba Posts: 229
    I'm not Mexican but I celebrate Cinco de Mayo every year.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    I like to have thanksgiving any day of the year and even cook a turkey with all the trimmings when ever I feel like it, and rejoice with friends on all the things we have to be thankful for, because no matter how much crap is going on your your life there is always something to be thankful for.
  • Sweet_Potato
    Sweet_Potato Posts: 1,119 Member
    The girl from NJ is probably excited to be sharing this American tradition with her UK friends. Just let her do her thing and enjoy it!
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
    Eh, I've gone to Hanukkah parties even though I'm not Jewish. I think if anything, it's a great way to learn about other cultures and their traditions, be with friends, and have a good meal! They will appreciate that you are celebrating the day with them.
  • doorki
    doorki Posts: 2,576 Member
    Best Fourth of July party I ever attended was on a RAF base.
  • IamBlackMamba
    IamBlackMamba Posts: 229
    I'm not Mexican but I celebrate Cinco de Mayo every year.
  • _Bob_
    _Bob_ Posts: 1,487 Member
    It's they day you bite the bullet and try your best to be nice to the family members you cant stand.

    usually in consists of stuffing you face and then watching football
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    Thanksgiving is really just about giving thanks for what we have and, as others have mentioned, it's a day to gather with loved ones and enjoy a great meal together. It's not a religious holiday at all.

    The people who first celebrated Thanksgiving as a harvest feast struggled through a horrific first winter in Massachusetts where over half of the original settlers perished from cold, hunger and disease. With the help of the local indigenous population, they were able to successfully grow and forage for enough food that following year that they celebrated it with a feast that lasted three days.

    Some families sit around the table before eating and each person gives a short statement about what they are thankful for, but not every family does that. If your friends do, you might want to take a moment to think of something to say. Happy Thanksgiving!
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Of course not. It's just a time to appreciate your loved ones and recognize all the things in your life that you are thankful for. You know, it didn't exactly start as an American thing. It's actually a religious celebration that is documented as far back as the Old Testament. Many churches have a celebration called "Thanksgiving" at other times of the year other than the nationally recognized Thanksgiving. Americans embraced it as a national holiday due to a mention of a Thanksgiving tradition in American history in which the pilgrims had invited the Indians to participate in the feast because they had provided the pilgrims with the knowledge of how to cultivate crops on the unfamiliar terrain.

    Anyway, long story short, Thanksgiving is for anyone and everyone that wants to recognize all that they are thankful for in a celebration.
  • sunnygirl19
    sunnygirl19 Posts: 60 Member
    My dad and I are Americans but live in Canada and celebrate both Canadian and American Thanksgiving. Its a way to focus on whats important to you, eat great food and enjoy each other's company! :heart:
  • CollegiateGrief
    CollegiateGrief Posts: 552 Member
    Thanksgiving is also jokingly known as "Turkey day" so. Hah. It's really a lighthearted holiday meant to spend time with family and friends and eat weird traditional foods. No pressure. I don't think you need to feel weird about it at all.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    It's not a religious holiday at all.

    You're wrong. It's in the old testament. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Jews, as God commanded, after 40 years of wandering in the dessert and entering into Jerusalem.
  • witchy_wife
    witchy_wife Posts: 792 Member
    I'm Pagan but celebrate Christmas every year with family. To me its just a great way to get together with family, catch up, eat too much and give presents.

    It may have particular meanings way back but I just think be thankfull of what you have and enjoy your evening.
  • scapez
    scapez Posts: 2,018 Member
    The only prerequisite is that you have to like turkey. :flowerforyou:

    Hope you enjoy the day, the company, and the food.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    So i'm British. My best friend married a girl from Mahwah, NJ and they both live here in the UK.

    They have kindly invited my Wife and I to Thanksgiving dinner and we've excepted because its nice to be considered such close friends that they'd like to celebrate with us. The problem (or not really a problem) for me is that I recognise Thanksgiving as an American celebration with friends and family to give thanks to their forefathers. Its also a celebration of the end of Harvest which for us was ages ago.. I have plenty to be thankful for including these friends but it doesnt stop me from feeling slightly out of place?!

    What does thanksgiving mean to you? do you think you have to be American/Canadian to really celebrate thanksgiving?

    If my Jewish relatives can participate in Christmas celebrations with Christian friends and in-laws, I see no reason a Brit can't enjoy Thanksgiving.

    Honestly, other than eating a lot of food and spending time with people you care about, there isn't much else to it.
  • allifantastical
    allifantastical Posts: 946 Member
    I'm not Mexican but I celebrate Cinco de Mayo every year.

    I'll drink to that. Me too!

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