Would you be in favour of this?
Fine Gael has suggested the introduction of a Thanksgiving Bank Holiday for Ireland in November, despite Thanksgiving being a traditionally non-Irish celebration.
The suggested public holiday would take place on Monday 29 November.
“Are you in favour of a Thanksgiving Bank Holiday on Monday, 29 November?”, a post from the Fine Gael Twitter account read on Wednesday afternoon.
The political party is calling for people to express their opinion in a new survey.
“Have your say in our Covid-19 commemoration survey,” the post continued.
However, it seems the idea has already received a lot of criticism from Irish people who aren’t too eager about the concept of a Thanksgiving holiday in Ireland.
Are you in favour of a Thanksgiving Bank Holiday on Monday, 29th November?
Have your say in our #Covid19 commemoration survey: https://t.co/7CRB6buqwh pic.twitter.com/Ut7j5ubtYE
— Fine Gael (@FineGael) September 29, 2021
With a ratio of just 67 likes to over 600 comments and almost 500 retweets at the time of writing, it seems that the suggestion has created some controversy with many commenters agreeing that the “Americanised” occasion should be swapped for a Bank Holiday which celebrates a significant day in Irish history instead.
Meanwhile, others hit out at the political party for sharing support of a holiday which promotes the “colonisation of Native Americans”.
Ireland currently has just nine Bank Holidays as opposed to 12 in many other European countries.
Leo Varadkar suggested that the proposed holiday could have more to do with the lives lost due to Covid-19 as opposed to Thanksgiving, adding that the date was just a suggestion and no commitment has been made as of yet.
“It may even require primary legislation so that needs to be borne in mind, too,” Varadkar told reporters in America.
“The idea is around remembrance of the fact that 5,000 people or more have passed away and they have families who are grieving, and also a way of recognising volunteers as well as workers who made a special effort.”
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