Wanda Hotel in the city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province put on a special celebration for Thanksgiving Day, on Nov 26, that pulled in around 100 guests in various fields along with children from welfare center, and an array of festivities, including a turkey pardoning, a charity bazaar, and a Christmas tree lighting to mark the beginning of of the Christmas season.

In commenting on the “turkey pardoning” (a symbolic gesture where one turkey is not killed for a holiday dinner), Andreas Kraemer, the hotel’s GM, remarked, “We took time to pick out the ‘lucky’ turkey, because there was a fierce competition where only the most intelligent ‘candidate’ could win the chance of not being eaten.”

At the same time, the turkey that was roasted for dinner was given a dramatic nickname – ‘You’re welcome’ -- Kraemer added.

The charity bazaar featured a 5-meter-long cake, hand-made cookies, and wish cards for sale, with the proceeds to be used to give a helping hand to children in need. The hotel also extended its generosity by providing free meals for 100 taxi drivers, who could not take time off for dinner.

Thanksgiving turkey in the Wanda Realm Hotel in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, on Nov 26. [Photo/hlj.sina.com.cn]