Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and the Philippines. It is also observed in the Dutch town of Leiden and the Australian territory of Norfolk Island. It began as a day of giving thanks for the blessings of the harvest and the preceding year (Similarly named harvest festival holidays occur throughout the world during autumn, including in Germany and Japan.). Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 2nd Monday of October in Canada, on the 4th Thursday of November in the US, and around the same time of the year in other places. Although Thanksgiving has historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, it has long been celebrated as a secular holiday. |
