Two countries have an official Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November, the United States and Brazil. Brazil’s is written into law, although most Brazilians don’t celebrate it.
Why Brazil has one
Brazil’s National Thanksgiving Day was created by President Gaspar Dutra in a law of 1949. The idea is credited to Joaquim Nabuco, Brazil’s ambassador in Washington, who had enjoyed the Thanksgiving service he saw at St Patrick’s Cathedral in 1909. A second law in 1966 moved it to the fourth Thursday of November, the same day as the American one.
It isn’t a public holiday, and it’s mostly marked by some Protestant churches, so on the day itself most of Brazil goes to work as normal.
Why the US settled on the fourth Thursday
Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national day in 1863, and for years presidents put it on the last Thursday of November. In 1939 November had five Thursdays, and Franklin D. Roosevelt moved it a week earlier to give shops longer before Christmas. Not every state went along with it, so for a couple of years the country had two Thanksgivings, which is one more than most people want to cook. Congress fixed it to the fourth Thursday in 1941.
Everyone else
Canada has its Thanksgiving in October, and Liberia, Saint Lucia, Grenada and Norfolk Island all have one on a different day, which is why they’re white. This year the US and Brazil both have theirs on 26 November.
If you like this sort of thing, see the most popular Halloween candy in each state or each state’s official drink.
Sources: Brazil, Law 5,110 of 1966, Wikipedia on Thanksgiving, Wikipedia on Thanksgiving in the US.
See every country
| Country | Thanksgiving | Status |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Fourth Thursday of November | Federal holiday |
| Brazil | Fourth Thursday of November | Official day, not a public holiday |
| Canada | Second Monday of October | Public holiday |
| Liberia | First Thursday of November | National holiday |
| Saint Lucia | First Monday of October | Public holiday |
| Grenada | 25 October | Public holiday (a different Thanksgiving) |
| Norfolk Island | Last Wednesday of November | Local holiday |
Share this map
More from Terrible Maps
The bookTerrible Maps: Hilarious Maps for a Ridiculous WorldOut now in the UK, US, Canada and Australia.
The shopShirts, hoodies, mugs and printsIncluding the Africa / Asia T-shirt.
There’s a new terrible map most days on Facebook and Instagram.
