How to Celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in Canada falls on the second Monday in October. This can be perplexing to its southern neighbor's residents. In the United States, where Thanksgiving falls of the third Thursday of November, many do not know how to celebrate this wonderful holiday in the way that the Canadians celebrate it. Canadian Thanksgiving has a longer history, and it commemorates the ceremony held by explorer Martin Frobisher in the year 1578 to celebrate his safe landing in Canada's Frobisher Bay. It's a beautiful holiday, and here is how you can celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Attend the religious services of your choice. Thanksgiving in Canada is, amongst other things, a religious festival celebrating a bountiful harvest. It is similar to the Harvest Festivals held at many churches throughout Great Britain. It also has similarities to the Jewish Sukkot harvest celebration.

2. Go for a hike outdoors, or you could alternately go for a weekend camping trip. The three-day weekend that marks Canadian Thanksgiving is often seen as the last chance to get outdoors and enjoy the glorious fall weather before winter sets in.

3. Have a Canadian movie marathon. You can rent contemporary Canadian movies like "The Triplets of Belleville" or "Dragon Boys", old classics like "Rose Marie" with Jeanette MacDonald and singing Mountie Nelson Eddy, TV shows like "Due South", or even cartoons like "Rocky and Bullwinkle."

4. Decorate the house with fresh flowers in autumn colors like reds, oranges and yellows. You can also make a cornucopia-type centerpiece with fresh fruits and vegetables.

5. Prepare a Canadian Thanksgiving feast. This may include traditional dishes well-known in the US. You can be sure to cook cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. You can also include some regional touches such as the French-Canadian meat pie called tortiere.

6. Watch a Canadian Football League (CFL) game on TV. In Canada, the games played on Thanksgiving Day are the only games played on a Monday apart from the Labour Day Classic.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are in the US, you may take advantage of the 3-day Columbus day weekend to celebrate Canadian-style.
• Canadians tend to have their holiday meal on either the Saturday, Sunday, or Monday of the 3-day weekend.
• Don't be afraid to celebrate even if you are not Canadian.

Resources

• Canadian Football League