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Thanksgiving Around the World

By Phyllis



As you know, our November IN Day always focuses on the American version of Thanksgiving, a day of thanks for the (hopefully) bountiful harvest. I did a little research, and we are not alone in celebrating some form of Thanksgiving. A few examples:


Canada’s Thanksgiving Day is the second Monday of October. It is similar to the celebration in the United States, with turkey and pumpkin pie. Stores may or may not be open on Thanksgiving Day.


Germany’s Thanksgiving, Erntedankfest, is held the first Monday in October. It is more religious than the celebrations in North America.


Liberia celebrates on the first Thursday in November. The holiday is thought to have been begun as a legacy of Liberia’s colonization by the United States by free people of color and former slaves. There is no specific feast for the day and the holiday is a bit controversial. Some resent it because of the former colonization, while others have chosen to reframe the holiday as a celebration of the peace and stability brought about by Liberia’s Civil War which ended in 2003.


Another former American Colony, the Philippines, celebrates Thanksgiving on the same day as in the United States. The holiday is part of Christmas in the Philippines, which begins in September. Many malls and hotels have sales for Thanksgiving. 


Rwanda’s Thanksgiving is a harvest festival held on the first Friday in August.


St. Lucia celebrates on the first Monday in October.\


There is no specific date for the United Kingdom’s Harvest Festival of Thanksgiving, although it’s on the Sunday or near the harvest moon at the equinox. Celebrations are mostly religious, although there is traditionally a food drive for local charities.


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