# Thanksgiving holiday in other countries **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 27, 2011, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-holiday-in-other-countries/590482 "2011-07-27T13:38:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-holiday-in-other-countries/590482/1 "2011-07-27T13:38:15Z")
Continuing the discussion begun here: [Graduating from Hogwarts - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=617563) Does your country celebrate Thanksgiving? To what extent was it inspired by the U.S. holiday, or has its observance been more recently shaped by U.S. customs, if at all? ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-holiday-in-other-countries/590482/2 "2011-07-27T13:42:43Z")
UK, no, we don’t. Church goers and school children usually celebrate[Harvest Festival,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvest_festival) where food gifts are given to the old and the infirm and the church is decorated, but I suspect that’s a hangover from pagan times. Didn’t I read somewhere that the US Thanksgiving has its roots in Harvest Festival? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-holiday-in-other-countries/590482/3 "2011-07-27T14:20:01Z")
Since the OP is looking for personal responses, this is better suited to IMHO than GQ. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-holiday-in-other-countries/590482/4 "2011-07-27T14:43:38Z")
You know what American Thanksgivings lack? [Monkeys.](http://www.thaifestivalblogs.com/festivals/monkey-buffet-festival.html) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-holiday-in-other-countries/590482/5 "2011-07-27T17:20:54Z")
> [@](#): > > Didn’t I read somewhere that the US Thanksgiving has its roots in Harvest Festival? It doesn’t have its roots in harvest festivals; it _is_ a harvest festival. It doesn’t always come right at harvest time, but that’s just because different parts of the country have very different growing seasons. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-holiday-in-other-countries/590482/6 "2011-07-27T17:52:45Z")
Actually, [you guys borrowed the idea of Thanksgiving from us.](http://www.thelaboroflove.com/articles/why-is-thanksgiving-celebrated-on-a-different-date-in-canada) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-holiday-in-other-countries/590482/7 "2011-07-27T19:53:11Z")
The Perfect Master speaks: [Is it true Thanksgiving was invented by the editor of Harper’s Bazaar? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/434/is-it-true-thanksgiving-was-invented-by-the-editor-of-em-harpers-bazaar-em) ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-holiday-in-other-countries/590482/8 "2011-07-27T23:13:25Z")
Here’s a [related thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=586896). Thanksgiving is celebrated in Norfolk Island as a result of [historical links with American whalers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving#Norfolk_Island). It occurs on the last Wednesday in November (so 30 November this year). As for the rest of Australia, its celebration is restricted to American ex-pats. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-holiday-in-other-countries/590482/9 "2011-07-28T00:31:31Z")
Canada celebrates a Thanksgiving holiday 45 days before the US date (same day as US Columbus day, in fact), but it resembles the US holiday a lot. Turkeys take cover and all that. It may be a bit early for pumpkin pie, though. But pretty clearly based on the US holiday (even if, as Cat W states, the Canadian day started earlier). Just for the record, US Thanksgiving wasn’t always the fourth Thursday in November. My father claimed it was the last Thursday and, one year, Roosevelt moved it up a week in order to lengthen the Christmas shopping season and maybe help the economy. In Canada, there is no natural start to the shopping season although a lot of it starts after Halloween. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-holiday-in-other-countries/590482/10 "2011-07-28T15:17:57Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Does your country celebrate Thanksgiving? To what extent was it inspired by the U.S. holiday, or has its observance been more recently shaped by U.S. customs, if at all? In Spain we know about it from American media, but thankfully nobody is trying to push it; Halloween, which had in recent years been pushed heavily, has already gotten a backlash from people tired of being told that taking your kid to visit grandpa’s grave on All Saints’ or Difuntos (November 2nd) can traumatize her while letting her watch Friday the 13th InsertNumberHere on the eve of All Saints’ is your parental duty. It’s not like we’re lacking in our own brand of harvest festivals, no need to import.