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Thanksgiving: Children show the way of bread in Hahnbach!
On October 7th, 2025, the Hahnbach community will celebrate a Thanksgiving service with special children's presentations in the St. Jakobus parish church.
Thanksgiving: Children show the way of bread in Hahnbach!
On October 7, 2025, a festive Thanksgiving service took place in the St. Jakobus parish church, which was prepared with great commitment by the family service team. Children presented the symbolic path of bread to make gratitude for nature's gifts visible. Various elements were arranged in front of the altar, illustrating the process from earth to bread.
Decorative elements included a cloth for the soil, seeds, a jug of water, the sun, a small tractor and flour. At the end of the service, a common loaf of bread was presented as a visible sign of appreciation for the harvest. Pastor Michael Birner encouraged those present to say “the magic word thank you” out loud in order to express gratitude not only in thoughts but also in words.
Appreciation of the co-creators
The co-creators of the Thanksgiving festival were particularly highlighted. Pastor Birner expressed his thanks to the sexton, the Hahnbach fruit and horticultural association and all the helpers who contributed to the design of the harvest altar. The community celebrated not only the harvest, but also the togetherness and shared values associated with Thanksgiving.
Detailed information can also be found on the Bread for the World website, where materials for organizing family services for Thanksgiving are offered Bread for the world.
Thanksgiving in an international context
Thanksgiving has many faces around the world. In comparison, the American national holiday Thanksgiving is very different from the European Thanksgiving holiday. The first joint Thanksgiving took place in Massachusetts in the fall of 1621 between Pilgrim Fathers and the Wampanoag Indian tribe. This tradition is celebrated in both the United States and Canada and has been celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday of November since 1941.
A central element of the holiday is the feast, at which a roasted and stuffed turkey is traditionally served. A custom on Thanksgiving Day is the battle for the dried wishbone of the turkey, with the participant with the larger piece getting to make a wish. On the day after Thanksgiving, known as “Black Friday,” retailers in Germany began offering deep discounts, ushering in the run-up to Christmas Archdiocese of Cologne.