The month of November is best known for Thanksgiving. Soon it will be time to come together as a family to feast and give thanks for the blessings in our lives.
Of course, giving thanks isn’t just an American thing; numerous holidays across the world are dedicated to the art of being thankful. This month for Passport Thursday, we’ve been traveling to different countries to learn about how they give thanks.
We started off the month in Vietnam, where we learned about the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Cake Festival. This festival’s dedicated to celebrating children and family because, historically, it falls during harvest time when most parents worked long hours in the fields.
On Nov. 13, we’ll travel to Israel to learn about Sukkot, the Festival of the Tabernacles. Sukkot were huts in which the Jewish people lived while they were in the desert, after they left slavery in Egypt.
According to the National Jewish Board of Education: “To remind us of their journey and these temporary homes, and of how our ancestors relied on God to help them, on Sukkot we ‘live’ for seven days in huts made from branches and palms.” Sukkot is also an autumn harvest festival, celebrated at the time when the Jewish people gathered the crops from the fields and the fruits of the orchards.
On Nov. 20, we’ll travel to Mali to learn the tale of The Magic Gourd, which fills up with whatever food the beholder desires!
The Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum is at 705 S. McClelland St. in Santa Maria. We are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
Amy Blasco, program director for the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum, wrote this week’s Discovery Corner, a weekly column in the Sun highlighting events, science activities, and more.
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