When is Saint Lucian Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving Day is a public holiday in Saint Lucia observed on the first Monday in October.
This holiday is a harvest festival to give thanks for the bounty from the island
History of Saint Lucian Thanksgiving
When we think of Thanksgiving, our thoughts probably turn to the USA in late November and to Turkeys and founding fathers. However, America is not the only North American country to observe Thanksgiving. Canada for instance, observes its Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October, and a week earlier the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia celebrates Thanksgiving.
Both the US and Canada give thanks for the successful founding of European settlements. The Saint Lucian version is more in line with the traditional harvest festivals that would have inspired those other North American thanksgivings.
Completing a successful harvest would have been one of the most important events in the year of any community. In Asia, for instance, strip away the religious trappings from many of the major festivals and you'll find most are harvest festivals underneath.
In the Eastern Caribbean, October also means the winding down of the Hurricane season, which tends to peak between August and September. Avoiding any major disasters from Hurricanes is another reason to clink glasses, play music and eat lots of food.
As this is a relatively modern holiday, for most Saint Lucians it is a welcome holiday, but as almost all shops and tourist spots remain open, it won't be that widely observed.
Note that Saint Lucia is a popular destination for weddings and if you need any official paperwork done, government offices will be closed today.
