Canadian Thanksgiving Day
Canadian Thanksgiving Day is an autumn holiday celebrated on the second Monday of October, primarily to give thanks for the harvest and the blessings of the past year. Unlike American Thanksgiving, which occurs at the end of November, Canada's earlier celebration reflects its shorter growing season. The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving can be traced back to early European settlers who brought harvest celebrations from the Old World. Influential figures, such as French explorer Samuel de Champlain, played a role in organizing communal feasts to foster relationships between colonists and Indigenous communities. English immigrants also contributed to the tradition, giving thanks upon their arrival and at harvest time, inspired by customs from the southern American colonies. While Thanksgiving has become a widely recognized holiday across most of Canada, certain provinces, including New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia, have yet to establish it as a statutory holiday. The food and festivities associated with Thanksgiving can vary significantly by region, reflecting the diverse cultural practices found throughout the country.
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Canadian Thanksgiving Day
Canadian Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving is an autumn holiday in Canada, when people give thanks for the bounties of harvest and enjoy a festive meal. It is similar to the American Thanksgiving Day, which is celebrated at the end of November, but harvest comes earlier in Canada because of the shorter growing season, so Thanksgiving is celebrated there on the second Monday in October.
Harvest celebrations were common in the Old World and were brought to the New by some of the earliest European settlers, both English and French. Samuel de Champlain, the French explorer who governed the colony at Quebec, established the Order of Good Cheer for the express purpose of organizing a holiday feast for the colonists and their Indigenous neighbors, while English immigrants to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland customarily conducted services of thanksgiving upon arrival and then, once they were settled, also gave thanks at harvest. In this they were encouraged by Loyalist refugees from the rebellious American colonies to the south, where New Englanders had already established a Thanksgiving tradition. As of early 2020, only the provinces and territories of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia had not made Thanksgiving a statutory holiday. The types of food eaten during and the amount of celebration devoted to the holiday also varied according to provinces.
Bibliography
Andrew, Scottie. "6 Ways Canadian Thanksgiving Is Different from the US Holiday." CNN, 7 Oct. 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/10/07/world/canadian-thanksgiving-2019-trnd/index.html. Accessed 23 Apr. 2020.
Mills, David, et al. "Thanksgiving in Canada." The Canadian Encyclopedia, 5 July 2019, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/thanksgiving-day. Accessed 23 Apr. 2020.
Sismondo, Christine. "The Odd, Complicated History of Canadian Thanksgiving." Maclean's, 5 Oct. 2017, www.macleans.ca/opinion/the-odd-complicated-history-of-canadian-thanksgiving/. Accessed 23 Apr. 2020.