Many of us believe that all foreigners celebrate Thanksgiving. But this is simply not true. Only the US and Canada mark the day – and they do so on two different dates.

Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November in the US. This year, Thanksgiving in the US falls on Nov 21. But, in Canada, the festival has always been on the second Monday of October, the season for maple (枫叶).

There is, however, some debate as to when Canada’s first Thanksgiving actually happened. Some claim it started in 1578 when English explorer Martin Frobisher landed in the Canadian Arctic. But others believe it was created by French navigator (航海家) Samuel de Champlain in 1604, who liked to keep his crew happy by throwing harvest parties.

Either way, the Canadian version of Thanksgiving isn’t as big a deal as it is in the US. “It is,” according to Sara Levasseur at McGill Daily, “less noticeable, like many Canadian things”. It’s basically just a simple holiday, little more than a celebration of the harvest.

There are no presidential pardons (总统特赦) of turkeys, no parades and no American football. It is “celebrated most typically with a plentiful stuffed-turkey meal and other seasonal indulgences (当季美食), as well as a genuine appreciation for all that Canada has to offer”, said HuffPost.

“Canada’s Thanksgiving is often seen as a time to simply relax and eat good food,” Levasseur writes. “It is more of a subtle (微妙的) feeling, like long drives home on tree-lined roads. It’s the feeling of home.”

Teachers’ Day is, interestingly, not celebrated on the same day all over the world. In some countries it is marked by a holiday, in others it is a working day.

International Teachers’ Day is celebrated on October 5. Being held ever since 1994, it is in honor of teachers’ organizations worldwide. Its aim is to encourage supports for teachers and to meet the needs of students.

China ― In 1939, Teachers’ Day was set for August 27, Confucius’ birthday. In1951, the celebration was stopped. However, it was founded again in 1985, and the day was changed to September 10.

India ― Teachers’ Day is celebrated on September 5 in honour of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the second president of India, whose birthday falls on that day.

Russia ― In Russia, Teachers’ Day was celebrated on the first Sunday of October between 1965 and 1994. Since 1994, the day is observed on the October 5, just the same day as World Teachers Day.

The US ― In the US, Teachers’ Day is non-official holiday. It is celebrated on the Tuesday of the first full week of May. A number of activities are organized in schools to honor teachers. The celebrations can continue for the whole week of May.

Thailand ― In Thailand, National Teachers’ Day is celebrated every year on January 16. The first Teachers’ Day was held in 1957. The day is a holiday in schools.

The Fire Festival is celebrated in northern Ghana. It’s a holiday we had never heard of before we came to live in a village here as Peace Corps community volunteers. It’s unbelievably great.

On the Fire Festival — Bugim Chug u in the local language — drums beat a quick and regular rhythm that locals dance to in a circle of bodies, men and women, the old and young, holding torches of burning grass above their heads, which stands for the light and getting off negative energies.

At this moment, this festival is being held at the beginning of the lunar year. The locals are all so involved in the celebration that they don’t pay as much attention to us as they normally will. When they find us getting involved as they are, they dance more vigorously and scream with joy.

Danielle, a friend of mine in the Peace Corps, says, “That we join in the celebration is significant because foreigners here are typically seen as the representatives of other organizations, not as people who are willing to join in the Fire Festival rituals (仪式). But in fact, we are dancing and celebrating as one.”

Our two-year Peace Corps service will finish up in mid-November. We can think of no better way to say goodbye than by celebrating the Fire Festival with the villagers we’ve come to know. The festival lets us see a different side of them — and lets them see a different side of us. The neighbors who sell rice are now the women who urge us to run faster and dance harder at the Fire Festival. And rather than view us as low-key (低调的) volunteers, they see us as the ones who have crazy dance steps with wild screams.