Well, it’s the Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, and lately I feel like maybe I haven’t been expressing how thankful I am for the aspects that make my life pretty great. Luckily, they’ve created a holiday to remind us to be thankful, even though, sometimes we forget. Now, if only they had Pay Your Taxes Day or Send Your Mom A Mother’s Day Card Day, where we could eat a huge feast and get things done.
So, what am I thankful for?
I am thankful for a really great year. Katimavik was a definite challenge, but it was something I will never forget, or regret. I’ve learned a lot, I’ve made great friends, and really, what more can you ask for? Having the opportunity to travel around the country was a dream come true. When I was younger, I thought I may never even visit Eastern Canada, and now I’ve lived there! Also, included in this, I am thankful for the friends I made during Katimavik. We may be far apart, and busy, but we’ve been through a lot together. Nobody else understands our Katima-experience more.
I am thankful for my family. My parents were really supportive of me going away for nine months, and of me taking time off when I returned. My brother took over for some of my responsibilities at home, which he may not have had a say in, but was still quite nice. So, I’m thankful for that, and I’m thankful that they still deal with me, even when I’m acting like a selfish brat.
I’m thankful for you, person reading this! Without you, this space would be… well, probably still existent, but definitely more boring. And, if you’re a Snark member, with a layout reflecting 2005, with incredibly bad (worse) coding.
Even if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, or if you’re not celebrating until November (you American, you!), tell me, what are you thankful for?
Random Fact of the Day: A mosque in Toronto is telling Muslims not to celebrate Thanksgiving, since it is not a Muslim celebration.
A two-part article on the mosque Web site says Muslims should also “stay completely away” from “Halloween trick-and treat nonsense,” Christmas, New Year’s, anniversaries, birthdays and Earth Day.
“How can we bring ourselves to congratulate or wish people well for their disobedience to Allah? Thus expressions such as:Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Birthday, Happy New Year, etc, are completely out,” it says.
Okay, so I can see how Christmas might not be celebrated, but Earth Day?! What did Earth Day ever do to anyone?!
Also banned, it says, are: watching sports or soap operas, walking dogs, family photos, wedding bands, Western hats, mingling and shaking hands with the opposite sex.
Okay, so I guess I can’t be Muslim. *Crosses off list.* Are there any Muslims out there reading this? Or does anyone out there know more about this religion? I must admit, I am somewhat ignorant when it comes to this. I just want to know if most people are doing this, or is it just a radical article being put out by some fundamentalists? Anyway, here is the source!
I am thankful for a lot of things, and I don’t really want to bore you with the details. These days, I’ve mostly been feeling thankful for my family :3 I’m also thankful that I’m alive and healthy
We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving… I don’t know what I’m thankful for. Probably for everyone around me who care about me I guess, and give me support when I’m sad etc. I know, I sound really emotionless, but it’s not like me to get sentimental easily and thank people around me because when I do that I start crying. So, thank gawd we have no Thanksgiving or it’d be a huge embarrassment for me every year.
“Halloween trick-and treat nonsense”!!
But even Halloween was traditional a spiritual holiday. Earth Day isn’t a religious holiday. Should Muslims ignore Presidents Day, MLK Day, etc. as well? I figure a big part of this targets Muslims living in North America. Well… if you don’t like our fucking holidays, go home.
I’m not Christian, but I can take advantage of days off and other people’s cheer and find my own ways to celebrate.
I am grateful for my apartment. I always take it for granted, but I have a great guy I could see myself spending my whole life with, and we live together in our own place. We lived at our parents’ houses the first year of our dating so finally living together for real is a huge deal.
I am also grateful my blog is doing well! And I’m making money without having to resort to retail work.
Happy Thanksgiving! I always forget that Canada celebrates it in October.
I hope you don’t mind me commenting on this entry, but I just noticed it.
There are many views regarding Western holdiays, by Muslims. Sure, Thanksgiving is not an Islamic holiday per se, but it’s definitely not an unislamic either. Most Holidays celebrated in the western world have become so commercialized anyways, that if a Muslim were to celebrate Thanksgiving it’s merely like saying thanks to God for everything that he has given us. And that IS an Islamic tenant.
Personally, the only holiday that I feel Muslims should not be celebrating in any form is Christmas, for obvious reasons.
It’s unfortunate that only radial views held my Muslims are highlighted by the media. So no, most Muslims in the North America don’t do this.
And also you got to remember, there is no concept of “Thanksgiving Day” for Muslims or non-Americans, so most people don’t celebrate it, but if they were to, I would not condemn them either.