Possibly Stoopid Question for Non-Americans

[Khayman]

Here in England we celebrate Thanksgiving on July 4th!

Ooooh, that's nasty.

Heh.

 

[Zimri]

In canada we giglle about the war of 1812 randomly. okay maybe it's just me and a couple friends that do that everytime we see a reference to "The White House". 8)

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

Heh, well, yeah, that was sort of a stupid question. I can't use the 'late at night, lack of sleep' excuse, either, since it was only 7:14 when I posted that. My question wasn't as much about holidays with the same PURPOSE as July 4, just if others had ones that happened to line up timewise. But anyhow.

I am shamed.

 

[evildm]

In canada we giglle about the war of 1812 randomly. okay maybe it's just me and a couple friends that do that everytime we see a reference to "The White House". 8)

Hehe, you too?

 

[Jack of Shadows]

Nope, countries have national holidays on the anniversaries of events relevant to them. I guess Christmas and Easter are fairly common national holidays for a lot of countries, as is probably New Year's Day.

For example, we don't celebrate July 4th (US Independence Day) or Thanksgiving (again, a US-specific holiday); we do celebrate November 5th (Guy Fawkes Day/Bonfire Night), which commemorates the day that Guy Fawkes failed to blow up Parliament (although we don't have a national holiday on that day - just an example of a country-specific event).

Umm....

Not exactly. Thanksgiving is also a Canadian holiday. But we celebrate it at the beginning of October rather than November. Just to be different and to have more time in the stores for Christmas Decorations I think.

Jack

P.S. Hee hee White House hee hee

 

[barsoomcore]

Thanksgiving is also a Canadian holiday. But we celebrate it at the beginning of October rather than November. Just to be different and to have more time in the stores for Christmas Decorations I think.

I think it's because if you're in Canada and you wait until mid-November to harvest your crops, you're going to have a pretty hungry winter...

White House. Hee hee hee....

 

[Arnwyn]

Yeah, you're right, Andrew - that question IS a little stupid. However, since the ENWorld community is a loving home, we shall embrace you to our collective bosom and pretend we didn't hear the question.

Yeppers.

 

[Gundark]

Thanksgiving (again, a US-specific holiday)

Thanksgiving is celebrated in Canada as well, different day though

 

[Angcuru]

We may have had a building burned down (we were going to remodel soon anyway), but you got whupped by a bunch of yuppies and a few Frenchmen.

 

[s/LaSH]

Nope, countries have national holidays on the anniversaries of events relevant to them. I guess Christmas and Easter are fairly common national holidays for a lot of countries, as is probably New Year's Day.

Although I'm sure we're all familiar with Chinese New Year... and I've heard that, due to calendar shifts, New Year's Eve was originally October 31st, and all manner of spirits and nasties came out in the gap between years. Which explains a lot.

For example, we don't celebrate July 4th (US Independence Day) or Thanksgiving (again, a US-specific holiday); we do celebrate November 5th (Guy Fawkes Day/Bonfire Night), which commemorates the day that Guy Fawkes failed to blow up Parliament (although we don't have a national holiday on that day - just an example of a country-specific event).

Guy Fawkes is an interesting holiday, in which England-descended folks all celebrate by blowing stuff up. The moral is... interesting.

Here in New Zealand, we've got Waitangi Day (February 14th), which is the date the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, establishing the rights between the native Maori and the English crown. Colonial policy being what it was, the date's now used for bitter political wrangling over restitution to the Maori, but the concept stands (there's no blowing stuff up; it's a symbol of concord, not of secession). I believe we also have Queen's Birthday Weekend, which bears no relation to Elizabeth II's date of birth - that's something USAmericans won't have. There's Labour Day, the date of which I forget, celebrating the guy who invented the 40-hour week (who was, I believe, a New Zealander).

And I can't remember any others right now. But now your minds are enriched. Hooray.