The uninterrupted number of hectic working days makes the unpredictable race of humankind unhealthy and void from the inside, both physically and spiritually.
At such times, comes as a savior, everyone’s preferred holiday, with a tag alongside the desire and chance for shopping.
Well, the 4th week of November brings us such beautifully crafted jovial days. Black Friday provides the opportunity for customers to enjoy the day with an excess of shopping and hyping them up with exciting sales and offers.
On the other hand, it acts as a strict rise in the profits of the retailers. Thanksgiving also serves as a moral day, allowing everyone to forward their gratitude and recognize the sacrifices and blessings of the last year.
Key Takeaways
- The day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday is known for shopping deals and discounts. At the same time, Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the United States, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November to give thanks for the harvest and blessings of the past year.
- Black Friday focuses on consumerism and retail sales, while Thanksgiving centers around family gatherings, feasting, and gratitude.
- Black Friday marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season, while Thanksgiving is a time for reflection, appreciation, and togetherness.
Black Friday vs Thanksgiving
Black Friday is a colloquial term for the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States. It marks the start of the Christmas shopping season. Thanksgiving is an annual national holiday in the U.S. and Canada, celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November to give thanks for the blessings of the past year.
On Black Friday, customers are lured in with the help of exciting offers of sales and numerous discounts on clothes, menageries, and various other products. This day is considered the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season.
Traditionally, retailers would even go to the extent of opening their shops at 5 a.m. in the morning to get the greatest number of customers. However, the scenario has changed over time and with growing technology.
With a cellphone in everyone’s hand, Black Friday has become more profitable for e-commerce shopping sites. Thanksgiving has a religious and cultural significance, whereas Black Friday does not.
Thanksgiving is celebrated by feasting on various dishes where the turkey serves as the main course.
Thanksgiving is an annual holiday celebrated to commemorate the harvest and blessings of the past year. Thanksgiving, according to legend, dates back to 1621 and was inspired by a harvest feast.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Black Friday | Thanksgiving |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Black Friday is considered the first day of the Christmas shopping season. | Thanksgiving is a day of feasting and giving thanks to the divine energy. |
| Celebrated on | Black Friday is celebrated on the fourth Friday of November. | Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the US and the second Monday of October in Canada. |
| Holiday | Black Friday is not a national holiday. | Thanksgiving is a national holiday. |
| Significance | Black Friday is more of a profit-making day for both parties. (Customers and retailers.) | Thanksgiving has both religious and cultural significance. |
| Activities | Black Friday is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. | On Thanksgiving, friends and relatives gather and joyfully feast on traditional dishes like stuffed bread, roasted turkey, pumpkin pie, etc. |
What is Black Friday?
Black Friday, celebrated on the following day of Thanksgiving, i.e., the fourth Friday of November, is joyously considered the day of shopping and also the unofficial beginning of the shopping holidays or Christmas shopping.
The term “Black Friday” traces its significance back to the early 1960s, when Philadelphia police officers coined the phrase “Black Friday” to describe the chaos that ensued when large numbers of suburban tourists came into the city to start their holiday shopping and, after some years, to watch the annual Army-Navy football game on Saturday.
They reached their destination mostly on Friday evening. Later on, down the years, it became a tradition of visiting shopping complexes as people in present days mostly live for fulfilling desires and luxuries than to just live with basic needs.
It is a profit-making day for both customers and retailers, as they get to fulfill their shopping desires and profit goals, respectively. The vehicular demand is equally high on this day as people from various areas travel to various shopping destinations.
As a whole, it is a day of economic rise for both online and offline stores, transport businesses, and the fulfillment of desires for luxuries.
What is Thanksgiving?
Culture imposes us with unquantifiable moral values, which make the race of humans kind and loving. Thanksgiving is no different in this aspect.
It is a day with graceful religious and cultural aspects and significance. Relatives and friends gather in masses to celebrate this day by feasting and exchanging gestures of gratitude and love for each other.
The Thanksgiving feast includes various traditional dishes such as roasted turkeys, pumpkin pies, potatoes, bread stuffing, cranberries, cranberry sauce, etc.
Thanksgiving is based on a harvest feast shared by the English colonists of Plymouth (Pilgrims) and the Wampanoag (now known as Massachusetts) people in 1621.
There was no specific evidence from the recovered letters of the Pilgrims why Turkey was adapted as the main course. However, Turkey had become a favorite dish to serve on such occasions by the turn of the nineteenth century.
This was due to a number of factors. To begin with, the birds were numerous. At the time of European contact, one expert claimed that there were at least 10 million turkeys in America.
Second, on a family farm, turkeys were virtually always ready to be slaughtered.
While live cows and hens were valuable as long as they produced milk and eggs, turkeys were bred solely for their meat and could thus be easily slaughtered. Third, a single turkey can feed a family of four.
Main Differences Between Black Friday and Thanksgiving
- The difference between Black Friday and Thanksgiving lies in the significance of these days. Black Friday is a day of fun and joy, characterized by extensive shopping, whereas Thanksgiving is a day of exchanging gratitude towards relatives and friends for appropriate contributions at various stages of life and a successful harvest.
- Black Friday is celebrated on the fourth Friday of November, and Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the US and on the second Monday of October in Canada.
- Black Friday is not a national holiday and, in fact, is a busy, jam-packed day for everybody, whereas Thanksgiving is celebrated as a national holiday with friends and family.
- The major activity on Black Friday is extensive shopping with friends and family. Shopping for various products can be considered, starting from clothing, menageries, furniture, house decorative, appliances. Whereas, major activity on Thanksgiving is to enjoy with relatives and friends a feast full of various items, such as roasted turkey, potatoes, bread stuffing, pumpkin pie, cranberries, and cranberry sauce.
- A rise in the economy is seen on Black Friday. However, on Thanksgiving, a rise in the improvement of emotional and spiritual bonds between relatives and friends is evident.
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698912001233
- https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/09590551111144905/full/html
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
