Global Thanksgiving

I’m guessing we are all well aware that Thanksgiving, in these United States, is observed on the fourth Thursday of November — this year, November 27. But, did you know that the United States is not alone in celebrating a Thanksgiving. Here’s the what and when for some other countries in the world:

Australia: The Australian external territory of Norfolk Island celebrates Thanksgiving on the last Wednesday of November. The holiday was brought to the island by visiting U.S. whaling ships.

Brazil: National Thanksgiving Day was instituted through law on August 17, 1949, upon the urging of the Brazilian ambassador to the U.S., who was enthusiastic about the commemorations he saw in 1909 at Sta. Patrick’s Cathedral in Washing, D.C.. In 1966, another law established the celebration on the fourth Thursday of November.

Canada: Thanksgiving occurs on the second Monday of October, and is an annual holiday to give thanks at the close of the harvest season. It has officially been celebrated as an annual holiday since November 6, 1879. However, the current date was set by proclamation on January 31, 1957.

Germany: The Harvest Thanksgiving Festival, Erntedankfest, is a popular Christian festival in some German municipalities on the first Sunday of October. The festival has a significant religious component, and many churches are decorated with autumn crops.

Grenada: Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on October 25. The holiday marks the anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of the island in 1983.

Japan: Labor Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday which takes place on November 23. The law establishing the holiday, which was adopted during the U.S. occupation of the country, cites it as an occasion for commemorating labor and production and giving each other thanks. It has its roots in the ancient Shinto harvest ceremony.

Liberia: In this West African country, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the first Thursday of November. The date was established by the Legislature of Liberia in 1883. It is celebrated in large part due to the nation’s founding as a colony of the American Colonization Society in 1821 by former slaves and free people of color from the U.S.

Netherlands: Many of the Pilgrims who migrated to the Plymouth Plantation resided in Leiden from 1609 to 1820. In commemoration, a non-denominational Thanksgiving Day service is held each year on the Morning of the U.S. Thanksgiving in the Pieterskerk (where the pilgrims had recorded their births, marriages, and deaths).

Philippines: As a U.S. colony from 1901 to 1946, the Philippines observed Thanksgiving on the same day as the United States. During the Japanese occupation in World War II, both U.S. people and Filipinos celebrated the day in secret. The holiday tradition continued until 1969. In 1973, President Marcos changed the date to September 21. However, after his ouster from office, no proclamations declaring the observance of Thanksgiving have been made, and it is no longer a public holiday.

Saint Lucia: Thanksgiving is celebrated on the first Monday in October.

United Kingdom: The Harvest Festival of Thanksgiving does not have an official date; however, it is traditionally held on or near the Sunday of the harvest moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox. The event has pre-Christian roots, when the Saxons would offer the first sheaf of barley, oats, of wheat to fertility gods.