Family is very important for everyone, no matter where you are from. So in both East and West, people have festivals to celebrate family reunions(团聚). These festivals include the Mid-Autumn Festival in China and Thanksgiving Day in the US. How are they celebrated and what are the differences? Let' s take a look.
Sharing the moonlight
The Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important traditional festival in China after the Spring Festival. It' s on the 15th day of the eighth month of Chinese lunar calendar. In ancient China, the day was considered as a harvest festival since fruits, vegetables and grain(谷物) had been collected from the fields. All the family got together and had a big dinner. They ate a special festival food-moon cakes and enjoyed the full moon.
On that day, the moon is full. The full moon is a symbol for family reunions which mean tuanyuan in Chinese. Now people also celebrate the festival by getting together and having a big dinner.
When it gets dark, people look up at the full moon, eating moon cakes and missing friends and relatives who are far from home. " We wish each other a long life so as to share the beauty of this graceful moonlight, even though miles apart!" wrote Su Shi, a famous Song Dynasty poet.
Showing thanks
Thanksgiving Day is one of the biggest holidays in the US. It' s on the fourth Thursday of November. People visit their friends and relatives to remind themselves that they are lucky to have happiness, health and family and also to have a roof over their heads.
In 1621, about 100 English people took a ship, the Mayflower, and arrived in the northeastern US. The winter there was very cold and life was hard. As the American Indians helped them a lot, the English people asked them to have a big meal with then in order to express their thanks. The celebration lasted for three days.
Today, people usually have a family meal on Thanksgiving Day. They enjoy delicious food such as pumpkin scorn and a big, golden turkey.
There are other traditions on the day. For example, the turkey has a V-shaped bone in the breast. It' s called a wishbone. After roasting(烤), two persons each take one end of the bone. They make a wish and then pull it. If one gets the larger part of the bone, he or she will get good luck.
The most important part of Thanksgiving Day is to say " thanks" — this is the spirit of the holiday. People also like to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV.
