By Zaynah Almasri and Charlotte Li
Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays in the United States that nearly everyone observes in some way, maybe because it carries no formal ties to a particular religion. And while some once celebrated this holiday in connection to the establishment of the American colony, as time has gone on, Americans have been more earnest in honestly confronting the holiday’s origins, and simultaneously celebrating it instead as a day to give thanks and pay tribute to cultural comforts, for all the diverse people that make up the United States. Because of this, the celebration often shape-shifts from household to household, some tables groan under the weight of turkey, the iconic North America bird, while others build around flavors from across continents. The heart of the holiday, though, remains steady: a moment to gather, give thanks, and appreciate family in all the forms it takes. At Wesleyan, where our community is made up of students from every corner of the globe, Thanksgiving is a vibrant collage of rituals, recipes, and relationships.
Today, we spotlight two Wesleyan students and the traditions they carry into the holiday. Through them, we get a small glimpse of how Thanksgiving can be both distinctly American and beautifully personal.
Zaynah
For Zaynah, a student originally from Morocco, Thanksgiving has become a cherished tradition shaped by her Arab-American relatives in New York. Each year, she travels to the home of her cousins, aunt, and uncle, Syrian immigrants who have embraced the holiday since moving to the United States. Their home transforms into a lively gathering place where several Arab-American families come together, filling the space with conversation, Arabic music, and the intermingling scents of both traditional American dishes and Middle Eastern classics.
Thanksgiving, for her, is less about the historical story and more about the reunion it creates. It’s one of the few times during the semester when she can reconnect with cousins she doesn’t often see while at school. The gathering also draws in new faces each year, as friends-of-friends or extended family join, making the celebration feel like a continually expanding community.
Some traditions have remained constant over the years. One of Zaynah’s favorites is the annual brownie ritual: “My cousin and I always bake brownies. Or at least attempt to, they don’t always turn out amazing, but it’s our tradition, so we do it every year.” The meal itself reflects the fusion of their lives between cultures: alongside the expected turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and mac and cheese, the table is filled with dishes like kibbeh, fatteh, stuffed grape leaves, rice platters, and dips. Dessert is always fully Middle Eastern—Dubai-style chocolate cakes, knafeh, qatayef, basbousa, and more syrup-soaked sweets replace the usual pumpkin pie.
What makes the day special for Zaynah is a sense of gratitude. “I’m grateful for all the people around me—my mom and dad back home who I miss so much but whose support I always feel. And my friends at school, who’ve become a second home. Really, everyone who makes me smile.”
Minseo
For Minseo, an international student from South Korea at Wesleyan, Thanksgiving has become a holiday she is gradually made her own––through sharing food, road trips, and small moments of community. While she did not grow up celebrating the holiday, she has learned to embrace it in her own way that blends Korean culture with her friends here, creating a sense of home even far away from home.
This year, Minseo starts her Thanksgiving by joining a Sunday service at a Korean church. She attended a potluck at the church after the service, where tables stretched with both American-style Thanksgiving dishes and Korean traditional festive food: Turkey, mashed potatoes, apple pie, japchae, toktokkie, and other festive dishes that reminded her of holidays back home. “The church potluck feels warm,” she says. “I’m really grateful that I can eat something that tastes like home and celebrate a festival with people in my culture.”
As soon as the break starts, she and her other international friends at Wesleyan are also heading on a road trip to Cape Cod, where they plan to celebrate a Friendsgiving and cook a big dinner together. They are planning to have each person cook a dish from home, sharing the taste from home while creating a new tradition as a chosen family.
Thanksgiving for Minseo is a time to slow down and reflect on the year. “It’s a time for bonding with family and friends and reflecting on what we’re grateful for”, she explains. “Sometimes, it’s actually hard to think about what we’re thankful for, but Thanksgiving reminds us to pause.”
Back home, her family celebrates the holiday in their own distinct way with Korean food. She mentioned that her mom will cook her favorite dishes––– galbi –– and the family gathers around the table to pray for what they are thankful for.
Though she’s far from home this year, Minseo feels particularly grateful for the friends around her. “I’m really grateful that we can be together even though our families aren’t here”, she says. “As an international student, my friends feel like my family here.”
The stories shared in this issue remind us that Thanksgiving is less about following a single script and more about creating space: space to reconnect with family, to welcome new friends, to bring pieces of home into new settings, and to honor the support networks that help us thrive throughout the year. And even for those who celebrate in different ways, or not at all, the long weekend often becomes a quiet pause to breathe, reflect, and recharge.
May we all find a moment to look around, at our roommates, our families, our communities near and far and feel grounded in gratitude. On a campus as globally intertwined as Wesleyan, Thanksgiving becomes not just a tradition, but a reminder of the many stories and connections that make this community feel like home.