I’ll bet you all didn’t even know that Canadians had Thanksgiving since there weren’t any pilgrims or a Mayflower or anything up here. So what are they celebrating if not the peaceful interactions between the pilgrims and the Native Americans? I’m still not sure, though I suspect there is a bit of America envy involved.
Whatever the reason, I will be enjoying some Canadian turkey and cranberry sauce today and will not be posting. See you tomorrow! Gobble gobble! xo Frank
UPDATE: Thanks to all the intrepid Canadian researchers who copy-and-pasted the Wikipedia entry about Canadian Thanksgiving into the comments section. It goes to show even real Canadians need to check a website to remember why they had the day off today!
Are all Canadians so angry? Seems everyone I meet from up north has more issues than a TV Guide subscription!
Didn’t they have Eskimo Indians? They had native Canadians in Canada.
Sorry, just another unknowing American! But, Yes, They had Eskimos.
It’s turkey time – gobble gobble!
On dear, I wish some of my fellow Canadians had a bit more of a sense of humour. OMG was just poking fun about our argubly looser version of celebrating thanks. I worry that all the funny people left Canada after The Kids in the Hall stopped performing, or that Lorne Michaels funnels them down to the US before they know how to read.
BTW, thanks for the acknowledgment of the Canadian Thanksgiving…a kind thought is always appreciated. You said “though I suspect there is a bit of America envy involved” but actually, Canada had it’s Thanksgiving Day holiday in place before the US. Ours is based on the autumn harvest and yours is with the Pilgrims.
In 1578 Martin Frobisher held a formal celebration to give thanks for a safe journey, this event was held in Newfoundland, CANADA, considered the FIRST Thanksgiving in North America.
Before that the First Nations had a tradition of offering thanks for the fall harvest.
In 1621 the US held it’s first thanksgiving for a good harvest.
In 1789 President Washington designated a national holiday, not for the harvest but to give thanks for the newly ratified constitution, President Lincoln was the one who ratified the November holiday, and put the focus back on the harvest.
Perhaps a little research might have avoided such a glaring error, perhaps you have just a hint of Canadian envy, I know…Canada is the best country in the world!!!
Andy
You seem to have no understanding of the country in which you are now living. How typically American. Other countries have holidays for their own reasons, not out of American envy! What an egocentric view of the world – and wonder why there are so many problems with American image world wide.
The history of Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an explorer, Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Orient. In the year 1578, he held a formal ceremony, in what is now the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, to give thanks for surviving the long journey. This is considered the first Canadian Thanksgiving, and the first Thanksgiving to have taken place in North America.
At the same time, French settlers, having crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain, also held huge feasts of thanks. They even formed ‘The Order of Good Cheer’ and gladly shared their food with their First Nations neighbours.
After the Seven Years’ War ended in 1763 handing over New France to the British, the citizens of Halifax held a special day of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving days were observed beginning in 1799 but did not occur every year. The first Thanksgiving Day in Canada after Canadian Confederation was observed as a civic holiday on April 5, 1872 to celebrate the recovery of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) from a serious illness.
Starting in 1879 Thanksgiving Day was observed every year but the date was proclaimed annually and changed year to year. The theme of the Thanksgiving holiday also changed year to year to reflect an important event to be thankful for. In the early years it was for an abundant harvest and occasionally for a special anniversary.
On January 31, 1957, the Canadian Parliament proclaimed:
“ A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed … to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October.[2]
You made the same mistake with Victoria Day – we still have it as the official celebration of the birthday of our Head of State, presently Queen ELizabeth II. We have had the monarchy here longer than the US has had a president – is this US envy also?
Try learning about the place you are in and not assuming that everything another country has is a replication of the US. The world would be a better place if American expats would spend some time getting to know another country for its own reasons and not comparing everything to the good old USA.
Besides it makes more sense to have Thanksgiving two months from Christmas for most Canadians and we can’t understand a holiday on a Thursday a month before Christmas.
Oh, and we have Boxing Day too!
Happy Thanksgiving!