How To Celebrate Thanksgiving In Germany

For American expats, Thanksgiving can be a difficult holiday. But just because nobody else stuffing their face with exorbitant amounts of food on the fourth Thursday of November, it doesn’t mean that you can’t.

In Germany, there is actually a Thanksgiving-esque holiday known as Erntedankfest. This is a kind of harvest celebration that takes place in the beginning of October. It is really just for farmers and people in the countryside to say thanks for the year’s harvest, however. Nothing comparable to what we do each year in the U.S.

So if you are living in Germany, and aren’t lucky enough to have connections to the American military here, then here are my tips on how to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Stick with Your Traditions
Thanksgiving was my first holiday away from home two years ago. I actually started crying in the grocery store on Thanksgiving as I walked around realizing that I wouldn’t be having a proper Thanksgiving meal. This was my first time really experiencing homesickness, and now I know that while integrating into your country’s new culture is important, you also should not abandon your traditions from home. So although perfectly recreating your Thanksgiving dinners in the U.S. is nearly impossible, you should at least continue the traditions that are important to you...


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