Thanksgiving in Austria

9 December 2022
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We asked 2022–23 US Fulbright combined grantee Michael Hughes to share his experience of celebrating the US holiday of Thanksgiving while living abroad in Austria.

By Michael Hughes

In years past, after running the YMCA Turkey Trot in Buffalo, New York, with my family, we would return home to feast on a spread of traditional Thanksgiving favorites. Soon after, we would fall into a “turkey coma” and then awaken to watch our beloved Buffalo Bills play on national TV. This year, I celebrated Thanksgiving in a slightly more refined and memorable manner.

After searching several grocery stores in Vienna, I found one relatively small turkey. This became the main course of my first attempt at preparing for a US Thanksgiving with the help of my roommates from Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria. While enjoying our meal, we spent the evening vicariously experiencing each other’s holiday traditions.

In contrast, our meal at the 2022 Thank Fulbright – Thanksgiving was much tastier, given that special Austrian flare—you can be sure I will attempt to replicate that taste in future Thanksgiving celebrations. Mingling with the Fulbright community provided me with a sense of connectedness and of belonging with these inspiring people. Those of us new to Fulbright were able to share our experiences, culture shocks, and certain adjustments we had made up to that point in the program year. Building relationships and getting to know other like-minded people who were on a similar but uniquely different journey in Austria made this event even more memorable.

Michael's successful first attempt at preparing Thanksgiving dinner.

The evening was made complete with the attendance of multiple generations of Fulbright Austria alums who had come to share their understanding of and historic perspectives on the program. I appreciated their continued support and genuine interest in getting to know the current students, scholars, and teaching assistants. Their pearls of wisdom will certainly be treasured for a lifetime. While listening to their exchange experiences in the United States, I was provided with a unique viewpoint on my hometowns of Buffalo, New York, and Portland, Maine. With their distinct frame of reference, these alums enhanced my appreciation of the cities that have a special place in my heart. Likewise, it is my hope that I will be able to offer a new perspective on Austria to the previous, current, and future program participants. 

The following week, while teaching my high-school English class in Baden bei Wien, I shared my memories of both Thanksgiving celebrations along with the impact of the Fulbright Program. Our discussions focused on why Thanksgiving was special to me and my family, the different foods we ate, and the positive and negative historical contexts around the origin of Thanksgiving. When describing US Thanksgiving, many of my students compared it to Erntedankfest, which is an Austrian holiday to be “thankful for the harvest” celebrated in October. This lesson not only provided my students with a new perspective but also enriched my understanding about my new home in Austria. 

This year, Thanksgiving has taken on a new multicultural meaning for me. I am so blessed to have my Fulbright dreams come true, and for that I am so much more thankful.