Chinese Church Voices

Lahu Christians Celebrate Thanksgiving

In Pictures

Chinese Church Voices is an occasional column of the ChinaSource Blog providing translations of original writing by Christians in China. The views represented are entirely those of the original author; inclusion in Chinese Church Voices does not imply or equal an endorsement by ChinaSource.


Thanksgiving is just around the corner for Americans, but for one minority tribe in China, a Thanksgiving holiday comes at the fall harvest in September. Ahead of even Canadian Thanksgiving, the Christian Lahu people in Yunnan province gather together to celebrate when their first fall crops come in. China Christian Daily was there to mark the event and bring us these pictures of Lahu Christians celebrating their Thanksgiving Day.

The Thanksgiving Day of Lahu People

September 21st marks the Thanksgiving Day of Christians among the Lahu people, an ethnic group of China and mainland Southeast Asia. That day, believers took their farm produce to the church to celebrate the fall harvest. 

Different from the American Thanksgiving Day, which falls on the fourth Tuesday in November, Christians of the Lahu people celebrate their Thanksgiving Day during fall harvest. Each year they take their first crop of farm produce to the church, symbolizing that they offer their thanks and harvest to God.

The following pictures were taken during a Thanksgiving celebration (or fall harvest celebration) at Banli Church, Lancang County, Pu-er City, Yunnan Province.

A Christian woman takes vegetables and fruits to the church.

Church members prepare for the fellowship dinner at the church. They have dinner together as a part of the celebration.

Christian women dancing and singing, praising God, and giving thanks for the harvest.

A Christian brother brings a pumpkin to the church.

Believers tithe at the church.

Christians eat together in the church yard.

Singing and dancing, Lahu Christians give thanks to God into the night. They celebrate Thanksgiving from day to night.

Believers watch the dancing, seated in the church yard.

Lahu watching the dancing, seated in the church yard.

The new, shiny church of Lahu people.

Original English Article:  The Thanksgiving Day of the Lahu, China Christian Daily.
Original Chinese article: 62张美图带你走进拉祜族教会感恩节, Gospel Times (includes additional pictures).
Edited and reposted with permission.

All images courtesy of China Christian Daily
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