Where is Thanksgiving Celebrated?
On the fourth Thursday of November every year, Americans across the United States assemble to celebrate a state holiday that is marked by feasting, watching football, and parades. The Thanksgiving celebration is not only celebrated in the US, it also exists in other countries.
What is Thanksgiving Day and Where is it Celebrated?
Thanksgiving Day is a state holiday that is held in Canada, the United States, and some parts of Caribbean islands. It also takes place in Liberia. The celebration always takes place on the fourth Thursday of November in the US, and second Monday of October of every year in Canada. Thanksgiving is connected to the harvesting seasons celebrated in the world at the end of every crop harvest. However, it marked a different period in the US, a time when the Pilgrim Fathers arrived on American soil and a purported incident in which western colonizers shared a meal with the American individuals. American families invite their relatives to share a meal as a way of ushering in the celebration.
The History of Thanksgiving Celebrations in the US
The first individuals to state the inception year of the Thanksgiving Day were not certain. Since then, it was thought to have started between the 1620s and 1630s in New England. However, the celebrations were not referred to as Thanksgiving at the time and were not organized habitually. Many have claimed to have noticed similarities with the Dutch celebration that took place in Leiden between the sixteen and seventeen centuries, and celebrations held by Spanish explorers during their stay in Virginia.
In the seventeen century, Thanksgiving was just an informal practice that was carried out by the local churched members in which the leaders declared when to hold the celebration. However, during the American Revolution, an official day was recommended culminating in the formalization of November 26, 1789, as the countrywide Thanksgiving Day by President George Washington. There was a period of confusion later as to when it should be celebrated, but Abraham Lincoln fixed Thanksgiving Day in 1863 as the last Thursday of November. It was later shifted to the fourth Thursday by President Franklin Roosevelt on December 26, 1941.
Canadian Thanksgiving Celebrations
Thanksgiving Day was celebrated differently by Canadians for many years whereby it was marked by local activities. The first official Canadian Thanksgiving Day is believed to have taken place on April 15, 1872, a time during which the Prince of Wales was recuperating. It was organized on every six of November until it collided with the Armistice Day that marked the end of First World War. The Canadian parliament then set it to the second Monday of October each year.
The celebration bore much similarities with religious components in Canada, in which churches are decorated in a way that it reflects the European harvest anniversary. However, the celebrations have skewed towards the United States-style under the influence of US model. Canadians now watched football games and cook turkey during the day.
When is Thanksgiving Day Held in Liberia?
Liberia is an African nation situated in the western region. The country holds the Thanksgiving celebration on the first Thursday of every November. It started in the year 1820 following the colonization of Liberia by freed black slaves from the United States of America.
