To whom or what are thanks given on Thankgiving if not a deity or deities? The first generally recognized American Thanksgiving, after all, was organized by religious separatists who considered ANYTHING distinct from religion a sin of frivolity; their principle difference from the Puritans was in formally separating from rather than merely reforming the "corrupt" Anglican Church (the trouble with reformations is, some people refuse to ever STOP. ) There is also the matter of the first US declaration of a federal Thanksgiving Day, in which President Washington "established" it "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God." It may have acquired a secular tone for many since, but that no more makes it a non-religious holiday than Scandinavians skipping church makes Holy Week one.


Oh, I get that; many people get Good Friday (at least) as an unofficial holiday, or even one officially recognized by their employer. However, there is a great and fundamental difference between a private entity acknowledging a religious holiday and a government publicly, explicitly, doing so. Chik-Fil-A is closed every Sunday so employees can attend church, but it is not a First Amendment issue, because they are not a public organ.

Likewise, there is a difference between public or private employers granting employees a requisite number of vacation days (explicitly stating any or all may be devoted to recognized religious holidays) versus a taxpayer supported-and-servicing public institution ceasing all operation to observe a religious holiday it declares such. If memory serves, Good Friday is a "vacation day" of the former sort for TX state employees, but anyone who already expended their vacation and sick days better be at work.

I realize little is likely to change, partly because this is less a case of the state ceasing to support than of ceasing to nominally control the church, and also because (as others have noted) there would be blood in the streets if unions had to relinquish a paid holiday. In fact, much of Norways public workforce has been on strike most, if not all, of this week, either seeking better terms or in solidarity with those doing so, and will remain so into next week unless their demands are met. No doubt the date was chosen deliberately, since all public offices are closed tomorrow anyway, and the teachers are pretty much done for the year anyway (though public aspects of the tourist industry felt the strike keenly this weekend.) I am just continually struck by the irony in the least religious industrialized states having the most religious holidays, while the most religious ones have the least such holidays.