Thanksgiving Day
Culture/religion: National observance
Date: November 26
Thanksgiving is a federal holiday in the United States and is celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday of November. Originating as a harvest festival and feast between the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the fall-winter holiday season.
Early Thanksgiving observances were a time to give thanks for one’s blessings and hold feasts to celebrate a harvest, practices that long predate the European settlement of North America.
The first Thanksgiving proclamation issued by the national government was done by George Washington in 1789.
Sources:
Thanksgiving (United States), Wikipedia
Thanksgiving 2020, History.com
Day of the Covenant
Culture/religion: Bahá’í
Date: November 26
Day of the Covenant celebrates the appointment of Abdu’l-Baha as the Center of Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant – the unbroken, unified line of guidance which safeguards the Bahá’í faith from division. The day not only recognizes unity in the Bahá’í faith, but unity of all faiths.
Bahá’ís believe this Covenant will help humanity build a unified global society.
Pronunciation:
Bahá’í: Ba-HIGH
Bahá’u’lláh: Ba-ha-ul-LAH
Sources:
What’s the Day of the Covenant, and Why Do Bahá’ís Celebrate it?, Bahaiteachings.org
Style guide, glossary and pronunciation guide, Bahá’í World News Service
Saint Andrew’s Day
Culture/religion: Scottish observance
Date: November 30
St. Andrew is Scotland’s patron saint and his day – St. Andrew’s Day – is celebrated annually on November 30.
St. Andrew is known for his desire to help those who are less fortunate and has been celebrated in Scotland for over a thousand years. It wasn’t until 1320 and the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath that he officially became the patron saint of Scotland, and then, it wasn’t until the 18th century that the celebration of his day became commonplace.
St. Andrew’s Society of Charleston (South Carolina) was founded in 1729 by a group of wealthy Scottish immigrants and is the oldest Scottish society of its kind in the world. St. Andrew’s Society of Charleston was known for helping orphans and widows. Later, The St. Andrew’s Society of the State of New York was founded by Scotsmen who wanted to help the poor and distressed.
St. Andrew’s Day marks the start of Scotland’s Winter Festival where people gather to celebrate the patron saint with Scottish culture, including dancing, music, food and drink.
Interesting fact:
St. Andrew’s Day was started by a group of ex-pats in the U.S. who wanted to reconnect to their Scottish roots.
Sources:
Who Was St. Andrew?, Scotland.org