Thanksgiving
is a common harvest festival practiced in Canada, United States of America,
Granada etc in celebration of the year’s harvest, well being, prosperity and a
manifestation of gratitude to nature and God on the occasion. In Canada, it is
being celebrated on October 10, 2022. It is a national holiday and is
traditionally celebrated on the second Monday of each October in Canada.

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The culture
of thanksgiving, though named differently elsewhere, is a common practice
spreading across civilisations. It is called Erntedankfest in Germany, Labor
Thanksgiving day in Japan and known by a variety of names in different parts of
India. While it is called Maghi in Punjab, It is referred to as Pongal in Tamil
Nadu and as Makara Sankranti in Karnataka, West Bengal, Maharashtra etc. It is
an ancient practice of an excited farmer who is grateful for good crops and
aims to celebrate the occasion with friends and family. Thanksgiving is known
to have been celebrated in Canada since 1578 during the Voyage of Martin
Frobisher from England. On Jan 31 1957, Canadian Parliament declared
Thanksgiving as “ a day of general thanksgiving to almighty god for the
beautiful harvest which Canada has been blessed with – to be observed on the
second Monday In October”.

In USA,
unlike in Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in
November. This has been the accepted date since 1939 when the then President
Franklin D Roosevelt proposed this date so as to boost the economy, thanks to
the 7 extra days people got for shopping prior to Christmas. In USA, the day
immediately after Thanksgiving is known as ‘Black Friday’ being thus called since
1952. The day is marked with huge discounts and tempting offers and is
considered the biggest pre-Christmas shopping day and marks the beginning of
Christmas festivities. Though it isn’t officially observed as such in Canada,
retailers and shopkeepers do recognise it and try to build on the US model for
profits.

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Most
Canadians assume that Thanksgiving is a federal statutory holiday, meaning that
the holiday doesn’t come with a loss of pay. However, it is a province specific
rule with states Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador considering it as an
optional holiday whose discretion solely lies in the hands of the employer.