Over the long course of American history, Thanksgiving festivities have evolved to be as diverse as the country itself, uniting a vast background of traditions, dishes and cultures into a singular day of gratitude. From Chinese food to traditional roast turkey and mashed potatoes, families’ Thanksgiving traditions often reflect their unique cultural heritages.
Senior Kinga Czajkowska said while her family doesn’t directly celebrate Thanksgiving, they embrace its purpose and use the occasion as an opportunity to gather with loved ones.
“My culture doesn’t exactly do Thanksgiving traditions because it’s a very American thing, and my parents aren’t from America, but every culture has a tradition of being together for (Thanksgiving),” Czajkowska said.
Czajkowska said her main holiday meal is different from traditional American food, as her family opts for a meal of Polish chicken instead of turkey.
“I hope to pass on to my future family that chicken is a better (Thanksgiving meal) than turkey,” Czajkowska said.
Junior William Xue said his family meets for a meal and has a custom of saying a Thanksgiving salutation in Chinese.
“We always connect with our friends and family, give thanks to each other and enjoy some great Thanksgiving food, and we’ll say ‘gan en jie kuai le’(“Happy Thanksgiving” in Chinese),” Xue said.
Junior Chloe Chan said her family’s decision to celebrate Thanksgiving with Chinese food allows her to connect with her culture and relatives.
“We eat hot pot. The base is usually tomato and soy sauce and the inside are vegetables, fish cake and meat dumplings,” Chan said.
For junior Suzie Mondragon, whose family enjoys a conventional turkey meal on Thanksgiving, it’s not the food that makes Thanksgiving special but the routine her family follows.
“I remember when I was little, we would walk around Stanford campus, and my dad would bring a skateboard, and we would have my dog with us and just skateboard and walk around,” Mondragon said.
Mondragon said her family also puts up eccentric decorations every year.
“We have a fake stuffed turkey that has a little electronic gobble sound that we will always put out,” Mondragon said.
Xue said spending time and laughing with his family are his fondest memories of Thanksgiving throughout the years.
“One time we were cooking the turkey in the oven and watching the turkey through
the oven’s glass, and we thought everything looked fine, but then 10 minutes later, the turkey turned black and we were so shocked,” Xue said.
Besides celebrating, Czajkowska said her family likes to use Thanksgiving break as a time to clean and reset for the upcoming winter.
“There is an obsessive amount of cleaning — literally everything — including places that my family won’t even visit,” Czajkowska said. “Everybody gets involved in it somehow because not one person cooks, and we all have to do something.”
As Thanksgiving approaches, Mondragon said it is a custom for her family to send out greeting cardsand a family photo.
“I’ll get my hair done, and we’ll get dressed up (for photos),” Mondragon said.
Xue said his cultural customs hold a special meaning to him, enriched by cultural traditions that he hopes to carry on for generations.
“Something I hope to pass on to my future family and traditions is that I hope we’ll always think about each other,” Xue said. “Always be grateful for each other and just appreciate what every member of the family does, what all of our friends do.”
