Origins of Canadian Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in Canada takes place on the second Monday of October.

Every year Canadians celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving. It takes place on the second Monday in October and was traditionally celebrated to give thanks to God for a successful harvest. Although not as popular as its U.S counterpart, it is still widely celebrated with families and friends coming together for a Thanksgiving meal. Today it is more of a secular holiday than a religious one.

Origins

The English navigator Martin Frobisher is traditionally linked to the origins of Canadian Thanksgiving. After a long journey in which he failed to find a north passage through North America to the the Pacific Ocean he held thanks in 1578 for surviving the perilous journey. This is considered by most to be the first Thanksgiving held in Canada.

Early Settlers

The first French settlers who came to Canada with explorer Samuel de Champain in the early 1600s took to celebrating their successful harvests. They even shared their food with the indigenous Canadians setting up what became known as the "Order of Good Cheer." Another big Thanksgiving celebration occurred in 1763 when hostilities between the French and the British ended with the end of the Seven Year War. The citizens of Halifax in Nova Scotia celebrated the handing over of New France to the British with a day of Thanksgiving.

Foreign Influence

Thanksgiving in Canada also has influences from its southern neighbor the United States. In 1621, the English colonists of Plymouth Massachusetts celebrated following the first of their harvests. This was to become an irregular celebration in the English colonies. During the American Revolution, many Americans who had supported the British moved north to Canada and took with them their traditions, which included the celebration of Thanksgiving.

Official Origin

From 1879 Thanksgiving has taken place every year in Canada. On November 6 of that year Parliament made it a national holiday. Until 1898 the holiday took place on a Thursday in November until in 1899 when it was changed to a Thursday in October. The day the holiday was to fall changed again in 1908 when it was moved to a Monday in October with the exact date being made each year.

Contemporary Date

Between 1921 to 1930 Armistice Day and Thanksgiving were celebrated over the same day. This meant that Thanksgiving once again moved back to November this time being celebrated on a Monday. It wasn't until 1931 that they again became separate holidays with Armistice Day becoming known as Remembrance Day. Today Thanksgiving falls on the second Monday of October after that date was fixed by a proclamation in 1957.

References

• Thanksgiving November
• Canadian Heritage
• Net Glimpse: History of the holiday