Happy Thanksgiving!

[Juanus]

I know that there are a good number of people outside of North America that are following the development of WACUP, so you might not know what Thanksgiving is. It is a Holiday where we give thanks for all of the family, people and things that have made our year special. So I wanted to wish everyone reading this a Happy Thanksgiving and tell you all that I am thankful to Darren for devoting his time and effort into WACUP and all of you for taking the time to make suggestions and test and make WACUP the best it can be.

All the best!

[dro]

Happy turkey day

and all of you for taking the time to make suggestions and test and make WACUP the best it can be.

I fully agree with that comment and am most appreciative of the feedback that I've had so far (even with all of the bug reports but we're getting there which is the main thing!).

-dro

[Juanus]

Is there a version of Thanksgiving in the UK? Or anywhere else around the world? Might as well open it up to everyone.
Considering that the United States Thanksgiving is basically the exodus from the UK, I would imagine that there is a celebration for being happy to be rid of us.

[dro]

Not that I've ever been aware off (an equivalent that is) and most of the days we get off in the UK (not that it matters to me being self-employed) tend to have historical reasons going much further back than even the initial european colonisation of the americas either on country specific stuff or from religious based festivals.

Though I'd assume that other countries must have equivalents in terms of being founded / freedom of the country (if I weren't being lazy I'd do a quick search myself ).

I thought Independence Day was more about the colonial separation process (even if we did then go back a bit later and trash the White House which I didn't know about until a year or so ago) rather than Thanksgiving (which I can picture is the camp & play from one of the The Addams Family movies).

-dro

[Juanus]

There are two separate incidents.
The first English Separatists, known today as the Pilgrims, came from Plymouth to the New World (The United States) in 1620. When they landed they met the Native Americans (Indians) and had a feast. That feast was the first Thanksgiving. A party in celebration, if you will.

Independence day (July 4) is the day that the United States signed the Declaration of Independence document that declared our independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. A few years prior we had thrown all the tea into the harbor to protest the taxes that Great Britain had imposed.

As you can see, every time the United States gets away from the Monarchy, we celebrate.

[dro]

Any reason for a party


Tbh it's all a bit too 'modern' for my liking as I much prefer the history of the 1500's (i.e. up to the end of the reign of Elizabeth I in 1603) and earlier though I can appreciate the more modern aspects. But then the history I've been made aware off isn't always seen / remembered in the same manner depending on the country it relates to.

As 'English Separatists' isn't the phrase that I was every taught and to me it was a mix of people of different backgrounds & reasons to want to make a new life (not taking into account migrants from other European countries at the times) as well as a proportion of those who where being persecuted on religious grounds (as things had been mess for around 80 years by the 1620's due to flip-flopping between being Protestant & Catholic depending on which King & Queen was on the throne).

For me growing up, it was primarily Romans, Normans (1066), Tudors & Stuarts (1485 to early 1700s) & the World Wars that were taught during history lessons (and things relating to the local area I grew up in). Anything else I've picked up on has mainly been from learning myself (TV, radio, books & going to places). Whereas I'm sure that US education probably wouldn't cover any of that other than what overlaps from the birth of the country which overlaps with the Stuarts for us.

-dro

[Dr.Flay]

Yule and the Winter Solstice is the traditional time for gathering with family and giving thanks that we made it to the turn of the year.

This comes after Samhain (Halloween), which is the time when you wave goodbye to those that did not make it this far, and light candles for those you miss (the Celtic Festival of the Dead).
Before that is usually the harvest festivals, which is the origin of Thanksgiving.
The "Pilgrim Fathers" left Plymouth (due to religious differences) and went to Holland where they lived for several years until (religious differences again) and then they went to the "new world".
The now depleted and diseased Pilgrims struggled to grow anything they brought with them, or hunt the local wildlife. They did not know which plants were poisonous until becoming sick.
The first successful crop was corn which they were  taught to grow by a local.
The following year a gathering was held as they gave thanks, and the "Indians" that attended brought turkeys to eat with the cornbread.

So in many ways we all have a Thanksgiving festival, in every corner of the world (even though it is a ball with no corners).

[dro]

... in every corner of the world (even though it is a ball with no corners).

you mean it's not a round disc on the back of 4 elephants on the back of a space turtle??  how can they have lied to me all of these years

-dro

[Juanus]

... in every corner of the world (even though it is a ball with no corners).

you mean it's not a round disc on the back of 4 elephants on the back of a space turtle??  how can they have lied to me all of these years

-dro

I've always heard it was a square disk. That is where the saying "four corners of the earth" came from. (Well, that and the bible)

[dro]

I think you need to go and sit in the corner of this round room

-dro