Well, hello again! We’re now entirely immersed in the fall season, with most of the trees devoid of brilliant color and cooler temps creeping in. 

How’s everyone doin’? Ya startin’ to feel a little festive? Despite this being the zaniest year of our lives, we can’t deny it; we’re totally craving the gluttonous, tryptophan, carb, and fatty food trifecta! 

On the flip side, we plan to stuff our faces and watch football and Netflix, in the company of our pets and the people within our household, safely, for the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday. We hope you gain five pounds and stay safe and healthy as well!!! We still have a lot more food to consume for Christmas! 

Did you know that the United States isn't the only country with celebratory events related to giving thanks? Many countries worldwide have regional or national holidays involving food, drink, and religious rituals centered around being thankful.

After some internet scouring, we found a few fetes that we thought you might find just as impressive as we do! And, because we know how much you love and appreciate art, we've incorporated some of our favorite Thanksgiving canvas art prints presented in some charming homes to appease your visual aspirations.

Kaamatan Festival - Borneo, Sahbah, Malaysia 

Let's take a little jaunt across the Pacific to witness a tradition that occurs on an island surrounded by several seas and home to three countries. Borneo, an absolutely breath-taking oasis, consists of Brunei, parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, and many fascinating cultures.

Before the harvest season, the Kadazan Dusun people of Sabah, Malaysia, on the Northern segment of Borneo, hosts the yearly Kaamatan or Harvest Festival, which begins May 1 and ends on May 31.

The Kadazan Dusen believe that their ancestors experienced a massive famine, and the god Kinoingan sacrificed his daughter, Huminodun, and spread her flesh over the land. From her remains grew rice. Because rice was born of this offering, Huminodun is a part of the spirit of the rice, Bambazon/Mabmarayon.

The festival originated as a homecoming for Bambazon, to mend any bad harvesting outcomes, feed Bambazon, and promote friendship and enjoyment through eating and drinking.

One of the most well-known events of the festival is the beauty pageant Unduk Ngadau or Harvest Queen Festival. The pageant focuses on the beauty of the heart, mind, and body. The crowning of the queen takes place at the end of the month-long Kaamatan festival.

Erntedank - Germany

Germany's Erntedank, or giving thanks for the harvest, is most similar to the United State's Thanksgiving Day; however, the celebratory date coincides more with Canada's holiday.

Erntedank dates back to pagan times when farmworkers would fill a goat's horn with fruit and grain called Cornucopia or horn of plenty. In modern times, goose with some side dishes is the traditional main course served on this day, and interestingly enough, America's beloved turkey has become more popular.

In parts of Germany, rural towns mainly observe this day of being thankful by going to church and listening to a sermon with choral singing, hosting parades with music and fairs, and usually crowning a harvest queen.

Some regions offer a lantern torch parade and fireworks. Throughout German cities, Erntedank is viewed more as a religious holiday held by the Protestant or Catholic churches.

Pongal -Tamil Nadu, India

Primarily practiced in India, with a plethora of global communities, Hinduism is the third-largest religion and boasts over one billion followers. The Hindu religion is quite distinct from other widely practiced religions in that practitioners worship many gods and follow a wide array of myths. 

Comparable to most religions, there are nuances of practice based on regional ideals and beliefs. Festivals are an essential part of the Hindu religion, and with so many deities to praise, there are many festivities to attend!

Tamil Nadu state, located at the southern tip of India closest to the island of Sri Lanka, is known for ornate temples, beaches, food, classical Indian dances, and being one of the first British colonies in India. 

Pongal is a four-day-long festival celebrating the harvest of rice, sugarcane, and turmeric, in the Tamil Nadu region. The harvest season falls in the month of Thai, or January-February. Additionally, pongal means "to boil" and is also a plate of sweetened boiled rice with lentils. 

Day 1- Bhogi Festival

Day 1 of Pongal ushers in the Bhogi Festival is a celebratory event for Lord Indra, the god of rain. In a ritual called Bhogi Mantalu, people take unused household items and throw them into a fire made of cow dung patties and wood. Almost like a ceremonious cleansing.

Day 2 - Thai Pongal

Day 2, or Thai Pongal, is a day of praise for the sun god with an offering of a dish of rice and milk boiled together with coconuts and bananas in a specific earthen pot with a turmeric plant tied to it. 

Day 3 - Mattu Pongal

Day 3, Mattu Pongal worships cows with adornments of bells and sheaves of corn. The mythology behind Mattu Pongal is Lord Shiva sent his trusted bull, Basava, to earth to relay a message that the people must have a massage of oil and bathe daily and only eat once a month.

Basava accidentally reversed the request to eat daily and have an oil massage and clean once a month. Needless to say, Lord Shiva was displeased and banished Basava to earth.

Day 4 - Kaanum Pongal

On Kaanum Pongal, the last day of Pongal, women take the leftovers of sweet pongal and other food and place the food on a Tumeric leaf along with betel leaves, nuts, and sugarcane. The performed ritual is to ask their brothers for abundance.

Our magnificent planet is full of plentiful resources. We should all take a moment to consider our own lives and all of the things we do have instead of the things we don't have and give thanks.