Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday of November. In Canada, however, it is celebrated on the second Monday of October; earlier, due to the harvest. Although it is not very popular in Brazil, it is a Holiday in the United States and is as important as Christmas.

It is a day of gratitude when families get together to recall the good things that have happened during the year and be grateful for them. 

Originally, the date was celebrated at the time of the harvest to give thanks for the plentifulness of the crops. It is worth noticing that Thanksgiving Day is not linked to any religion, and it has been celebrated by everyone regardless of creed. Thanksgiving Day is usually celebrated with a dinner party. 

Thanksgiving in the United States

In the United States, people are used to travelling to spend the Holiday with their families. The traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes any number of dishes: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied yams, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. And also cookies, apple pies and nuts.

Nearly 50 million turkeys are consumed in the US, and that is the reason why the date is popularly known as ‘Turkey Day”. 

Thus, every year the president of the United States takes part in a ceremony in which two turkeys are “forgiven”, spared from slaughter. Thanksgiving Day became an official national party in the US is 1863, chosen by Abraham Lincoln. However, it only became a National Holiday in 1941. It is also commemorated with parties, prayers, and parades. Macy’s stores hold the world’s biggest Thanksgiving parade in New York since 1924.

Thanksgiving in Brazil

Although Thanksgiving is not very popular in Brazil, it is celebrated by families of American or Canadian origins and at language schools, as an opportunity to spread the American culture. 

As it is in the US, the Thanksgiving feast in Brazil is on the fourth Thursday of November. 

The date became official in Brazil in 1949 and its celebration was suggested by Joaquim Nabuco when he was the Brazilian ambassador in the United States.