Countries that celebrate Thanksgiving

We often think of the United States as that only country which celebrates Thanksgiving. That isn't really true, while celebrations differ,  there are several other countries that celebrate Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving in the United States is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in the fall of 1621. The Pilgrims usually gave thanksgiving in a religious way. This first Thanksgiving was a secular event that brought the colonist together with some friendly Native Americans in a feast that lasted for a week. The good harvest and the game they were able to kill provide abundant food. 

The Pilgrims had survived a very harsh winter and those who were still alive had gone on to plant and harvest their first crops. It was as boisterous and enjoyable a time as these sometimes dour religious settlers ever enjoyed.

Thanksgiving became an official holiday in the United States in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November to be the official holiday. During the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, it was decided that the last Thursday was not a good idea since it sometimes was the 5th Thursday of the month and people didn’t Christmas shop until after Thanksgiving. 

When Thanksgiving fell on the 30th of November, it hurt business which since the country was coming out of the Great Depression, wasn’t a good idea. In 1941, Congress officially set the date as the fourth Thursday of November and it has remained the same ever since.

Canada on the other hand celebrates Thanksgiving Day on the second Monday in October. It has a totally different history than that of the United States. The main reason that it is celebrated earlier in the year is Canada’s location to the north. It gets colder much earlier in Canada than it does in most of the United States. Thanksgiving officially began in Canada in 1879. 

The first Thanksgiving in Canada dates to even earlier than that of the US. It was held by English explorer Martin Frobisher in 1578 in Newfoundland to celebrate the fact that he and his crew had survived the journey. 

Over the years French colonists and Americans who moved north after the Revolutionary War brought their traditions to add to what was already being observed. It wasn’t until 1957 that the date for Thanksgiving Day was officially set on the second Monday in October. Many similarities exist between celebrations in Canada and the U.S. including the inclusion of pumpkin pie in the festivities.

Another country that celebrates Thanksgiving is Liberia in West Africa. It was originally settled by freed slaves from the United States so it is not surprising that they have also adopted this tradition. Their celebration, however, is in thanksgiving for the freeing of the slaves in addition to being thankful for good things that have happened in the past year. 

The feast usually includes a roasted chicken and mashed cassava. It is definitely a day to gather with family and enjoy music and dancing and of course eating. It is celebrated on November 3rd and is a public holiday.

Many other countries celebrate the fall harvest but most of the celebrations are not national and are not on a fixed date. They are celebrated locally as religious events or with fairs and entertainment. The common thread in all of these Thanksgiving Days is giving thanks to a supreme power for the bounty that the harvest has provided and that is a universal theme.