[MoFA] Thanksgiving

Day 2,199, 21:09 • Published in Ireland Ireland • by Irish Foreign Ministry







As we have many RL Americans and Canadians with us in our Irish community, it seemed appropriate to share a little introduction and explanation to their national Holiday, Thanksgiving, which is held the 4th Thursday of every November in the US, and the 2nd Monday in October in Canada.



The first Thanksgiving in Canada was held in approximately 1578, as a celebration for an explorer's survival from England to Canada 3 times through the Arctic conditions. It's also traced back to French settlers in the 17th century who celebrated their harvests with the native peoples. Eventually immigrants from the US, Ireland, Scotland and other nations migrated to Canada and introduced their own cultural additions to the celebrations. The day became an official holiday in 1872, and was celebrated in November. After World War I however, to prevent collision with Armistice Day, the holiday was moved to the 2nd Monday in October, which is also Columbus Day in America.

In the US, the celebration started in the 1620s, when Puritans (Those settlers loyal to the British Church) and Pilgrims (colonists who were seperatists) held festive celebrations of their harvests with the local Native peoples.



Every Thanksgiving, families across the nation hold large feasts, and often meet up with distant relatives to catch up on things, eat, drink, give thanks for what they have, and of course watch American Football. Each year, the President of the US "pardons" a Turkey, sparing its life to roam freely, as a tradition.

In other nations, such as Germany, Japan, Liberia, parts of Australia, and other smaller nations, different variations of Thanksgiving are held annually. In Leiden, a city in the Netherlands, Thanksgiving is held in remembrance of the Pilgrims who lived there for a decade before settling in the New World.


(Leiden American Pilgrim Museum)

!!!THANKSGIVING GIVEAWAY!!!

In the giving mood, we will be giving out 5Q7 tanks to every Irish citizen who leaves something that they feel Ireland should be thankful for in the comment section. For example, a friendship with another nation, recent achievements for our nation, ect. ect.

!!!THANKSGIVING GIVEAWAY!!!

On behalf of the MoFA team, we'd like to wish the eIrish and all of our allies a Happy Thanksgiving!

-R.A.
Irish MoFA