Who Celebrates Thanksgiving The Second Monday In November

The Second Monday in November: Who Actually Celebrates Thanksgiving on That Date

You've probably seen the calendar confusion play out online every October. Someone posts a Thanksgiving meme in late October, and the comments explode with people insisting it's too early — or too late. Practically speaking, it's a real, widely celebrated holiday — just not the one most Americans are thinking about. So who celebrates thanksgiving the second monday in november, and why does that date exist? Worth adding: here's the thing: Thanksgiving on the second Monday in November isn't a mistake. Let's break it down.

What Is Thanksgiving on the Second Monday in November

The short answer is Canada. Most people assume it's November because they're projecting the American holiday onto their northern neighbors. Think about it: wait — that's the thing, isn't it? Canadian Thanksgiving falls on the second Monday of October, not November. But if you're looking for a Thanksgiving that lands on the second Monday in November specifically, you need to look a little further than just Canada.

Canadian Thanksgiving: The October One

Let's get the big one out of the way first. That's a fixed rule — it's been that way since 1957, when the Canadian Parliament passed a proclamation establishing the date. Early European settlers in what is now Nova Scotia held harvest celebrations as far back as the 1570s, and Martin Frobisher held a ceremony of thanks in 1578 after his expedition to find the Northwest Passage. That said, the holiday has roots going back much further, though. Canada's Thanksgiving is on the second Monday of October. Over centuries, the tradition blended with Indigenous harvest practices and French settler customs to become the national holiday Canadians know today.

Canadian Thanksgiving is a statutory holiday in most provinces. People get the day off work, families gather for a meal, and the focus is on gratitude and the harvest season. The menu looks a lot like American Thanksgiving — turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie — but the cultural flavor is distinctly Canadian. Some families serve butter tarts for dessert. Others might include tourtière, a savory meat pie with roots in French-Canadian cuisine.

So What About the Second Monday in November?

Here's where it gets interesting. If you're specifically asking about the second Monday in November, you're probably thinking of something beyond the standard Canadian or American Thanksgiving. And honestly, the answer is a bit more scattered than you might expect.

Some Caribbean nations and territories with historical ties to the United States observe Thanksgiving on dates that can shift into November. Liberia, for example, celebrates Thanksgiving on the first Thursday of November — not the second Monday, but it's in the same general window. And in some parts of the Dutch Caribbean, particularly the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao), Thanksgiving traditions have taken root due to American cultural influence, though the dates aren't always standardized.

The second Monday in November also coincides with Remembrance Day in Canada and other Commonwealth nations on November 11 when it falls on that specific date. This creates an interesting overlap in some years — a country that already has a holiday on November 11 might have a long weekend that blends remembrance with the tail end of the harvest season, even if there's no separate "Thanksgiving" on that exact date.

Other November Harvest Celebrations Around the World

Even if they don't call it "Thanksgiving," plenty of cultures hold harvest festivals in November. It originated as a harvest festival called Niiname-sai, where the Emperor offers newly harvested rice to the gods. Japan's Labor Thanksgiving Day (Kinrō Kansha no Hi) falls on November 23. It's now a national holiday focused on labor, production, and mutual appreciation — which shares a philosophical DNA with the Thanksgiving concept even if the traditions look completely different.

In Germany, Erntedankfest (Harvest Thanksgiving Festival) typically takes place in early October, but some regional celebrations stretch into November. Rural communities hold church services, parades, and feasts centered on the harvest. These aren't public holidays in the same way, but they're deeply rooted in local culture.

So, the United Kingdom has Harvest Festival, which churches traditionally observe in September or October, but again, the timing can flex depending on the community and the agricultural calendar.

Why It Matters / Why People Care

The confusion around "who celebrates thanksgiving the second monday in november" matters more than it seems on the surface. It touches on cultural identity, historical memory, and the way holidays travel across borders.

The American Lens Problem

Most of the world's understanding of Thanksgiving is filtered through the American version — the fourth Thursday of November, rooted in the 1621 Plymouth harvest feast. When people hear "Thanksgiving" and "November," they default to the US holiday. In practice, this creates real friction. Canadian expats living in the US often find themselves celebrating twice — once in October for their own heritage, and once in November to participate in the American tradition. Meanwhile, Americans living in Canada sometimes get confused about why their Canadian coworkers are talking about Thanksgiving in October.

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Commercial and Media Confusion

Retailers and media outlets don't help. In real terms, in the US, "Black Friday" shopping deals start creeping into October now, which blurs the line between the two holidays even further. And canadian retailers have their own Black Friday tradition, but it's tied to the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend in October, not the American one. So a Canadian shopper might see Black Friday deals in late October and wonder if they're late to the party — or early.

The Deeper Question of Gratitude

Underneath the date confusion is something worth sitting with: the idea of setting aside a day to give thanks for what you have. The specific date, the specific menu, the specific history — those are the variables. That impulse exists in almost every culture, across every continent. The core human need to pause and acknowledge abundance is the constant.

How It Works (or How to Do It)

Understanding the Canadian Thanksgiving Timeline

If you want to understand Canadian Thanksgiving properly, here's how it breaks down:

• The proclamation: In 1957, Canada's Parliament declared the second Monday of October as Thanksgiving Day. Before that, the date varied by province and by year.
• The holiday itself: It's a statutory holiday in most provinces (not Quebec, which treats it differently — it's not a statutory day off there). Federal employees get the day off, and most businesses close.
• The meal: Families typically gather on the Sunday before or the Monday itself. Turkey is the centerpiece, but the sides can vary. Maple syrup plays a bigger role than it does in American Thanksgiving.
• The long weekend: Because it's a Monday holiday, many Canadians use the long weekend for a short trip or to spend time outdoors before winter sets in. October in Canada is stunning — fall foliage, crisp air — and a lot of people take advantage of that.

What About November Thanksgiving?

If you're specifically looking for a Thanksgiving celebration on the second Monday in November, your best bet is to look at countries or territories that blend harvest traditions with November timing. Liberia's Thanksgiving is close but falls on a Thursday. Some communities in the Caribbean observe American-style Thanksgiving but may shift the date to fit local schedules.

falls on a Sunday, some regions do hold informal celebrations on the following Monday, creating an interesting hybrid of Canadian and American traditions.

Making Your Own Way

For newcomers or those straddling both cultures, there's no single "right" way to celebrate. Many American expats in Canada choose to maintain both holidays—honoring their family traditions in October and then having a second gathering in November with Canadian friends or colleagues. Others simplify by adopting one celebration entirely, usually going with the local custom to fit into their community better.

The beauty lies in the flexibility. You can have a traditional Canadian Thanksgiving with all the fixings, then circle back in November for a second gratitude feast. Or you might blend the two—celebrating in October with a turkey dinner, then doing a smaller gathering in November focused on what you've gained over the following month.

Beyond the Date: Finding Your Gratitude Rhythm

What matters most isn't whether you're celebrating on the "right" day, but that you're creating space for reflection and connection. Some families find their rhythm through seasonal changes—harvest time in the fall, spring renewal, winter solstice. Others anchor gratitude to life milestones: the start of school, new jobs, birthdays, or even difficult recoveries.

The important thing is consistency in the practice, not perfection in the timing. A heartfelt meal shared with people you love beats a perfectly executed feast eaten in silence any day of the year.

The Bottom Line

Canadian and American Thanksgivings are siblings—similar in spirit but different in execution. One emphasizes harvest and preparation for winter, the other feels more like a bridge between harvest and the coming year. One falls in October, the other in November. Both center on the same fundamental truth: gratitude transforms how we see our lives.

So whether you're queuing up for Black Friday sales in October or setting your table for turkey in November, remember that the date is just a marker. The real celebration happens in the pause, the reflection, and the sharing of what matters most to you.