How Students are Choosing to Celebrate Thanksgiving during the Pandemic
With the presence of COVID-19 as well as a surge of new cases in Zones 1 and 5, students are celebrating Thanksgiving this year in new ways. Instead of gathering with friends and family, Mount Allison recommended that students stay on campus and partake in one of the Thanksgiving meals being offered at Jennings or celebrate within the Sackville-Mt. A bubble. Under these circumstances, students are finding other ways to celebrate Thanksgiving. Students are celebrating with families inside the Atlantic Bubble, with friends, as well as on their own.
Thanksgiving is usually a celebration of comradery, being thankful, and sharing gratitude with others. “A holiday celebrating these values is great,” said Rowan White, a second-year voice student, “but we need to be mindful of the Indigenous People who had these traditions from the start,” White continued. “Pumpkins, turkeys, corn, and all these things we associate with North American fall are originally part of Indigenous culture, and it’s never the custodians of the land who get the credit.” White expressed that although sharing with your community is one of the main teachings of Indigenous Peoples, non-Indigenous students and those who celebrate Thanksgiving must be mindful of where these traditions originated. White will be celebrating Thanksgiving with their friends, by making a traditional Indigenous feast.
Some students have opted to partake in their own tradition, like celebrating with friends. “I am very excited to have friends-giving this year, I think it will be a unique experience, but I believe it will be very fun,” said Ellen McKay, a third-year biology major.
Some students are stepping away from the traditional meals and opting for a more unique spread: “We are not planning on making the traditional thanksgiving supper, we are planning on making tacos and nachos,” said McKay.
Whether creating a traditional Thanksgiving dinner or sharing the meal with friends, Mt. A students are taking the time to be together with those closest to them and enjoying the spirit of the holiday. Some students are fortunate enough to be able to celebrate with family inside the Atlantic Bubble despite not being able to go home for Thanksgiving. However, whichever way they choose to celebrate, students are taking the time to be together and forget about the constant stressors of the pandemic.
