Although it’s not a national holiday, Belize celebrates Thanksgiving, and similar to the U.S., it is celebrated in November.
As for why Belize celebrates Thanksgiving, it is not certain if it is because of religion or the influence of American media. But I believe it may be due to the former. I say this because as a kid I remember having to go to church on Thanksgiving Sunday, and it was a big deal.
Interestingly, everyone gave special offerings to the church on Thanksgiving, as a way to show God that we were grateful for the blessings received throughout the year. Kids would take small baskets of fruit, and adults would take homemade baked goods. And at the end of the sermon, the items would be sold back to the congregation. LOL
I always looked forward to the baked goods of “Tia Dodi”, her pies were the bomb dot com.
Starting at 10am and ending at noon, the Thanksgiving service would occur on the last Sunday of November. And after the Thanksgiving “food-and-fruit fire sale”, we would head home to enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving meal. The meal typically included rice and beans, baked chicken with stuffing and potato salad since my mom thought turkey meat is too dry.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my vignette.
So if you’re Canadian, I guess you know by now that if you visit in October, it won’t be Thanksgiving in Belize. However, you can always rent a condo or apartment and cook your own dinner, or swap the turkey for seafood! Also, if you visit Belize in October, you’ll get to enjoy some deep discounts since it is during the tourism offseason.
As for Americans, if you’re thinking about traveling to Belize for Thanksgiving, I promise you’ll have a great time. If you’re staying at a resort, it will be easy to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal with Belizean spices, and if you’re not at a resort, you’ll have to do some research and find a restaurant that will have a turkey dinner special.
If you’re looking for a Thanksgiving vacation package, The Lodge at Chaa Creek is a popular choice and if you book early, it is discounted.
P.s. Sorry, Belize does not do Black Friday, which in reality, is not a bad thing, right?
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