Thanksgiving Day is
celebrated on the second
Monday of October. It is
a statutory holiday
throughout all of Canada
except the Atlantic
provinces (New
Brunswick, Newfoundland
and Labrador, Nova
Scotia, and Prince
Edward Island).
Before the first
Europeans arrived in
North America, the
farmers in Europe would
hold celebrations at
harvest time. To give
thanks for their good
fortune and the
abundance of food, the
farm workers filled a
curved goat's horn with
fruit and grain. This
symbol was called a
cornucopia or "horn of
plenty". When they came
to Canada they brought
this tradition with
them.
The first North American
Thanksgiving was
celebrated in 1578 when
the English Navigator,
Martin Frobisher, held a
formal ceremony in what
is now called
Newfoundland, to give
thanks for surviving his
long sea journey. Other
settlers arrived after
him and continued these
ceremonies.
During the American
Revolution, Americans
who remained loyal to
England moved to Canada
where they brought the
customs and practices of
the
American Thanksgiving
to Canada. There are
many similarities
between the two
Thanksgivings such as
the cornucopia and the
pumpkin pie.
The first Thanksgiving
Day in Canada after
Confederation was
observed on April 15,
1872, to celebrate the
recovery of The Prince
of Wales (later King
Edward VII) from a
serious illness. In
1879, Parliament
declared November 6th
a national holiday of
Thanksgiving.
Over the years many
dates were used for
Thanksgiving, the most
popular was the 3rd
Monday in October. After
World War I, both
Armistice Day and
Thanksgiving were
celebrated on the Monday
of the week in which
November 11th
occurred. Ten years
later, in 1931, the two
days became separate
holidays and Armistice
Day was renamed
Remembrance Day.
Finally, on January 31st,
1957, Parliament
declared the second
Monday in October of
each year to be "A Day
of General Thanksgiving
to Almighty God for the
bountiful harvest with
which Canada has been
blessed".
Most families in Canada
celebrate Thanksgiving
with a special dinner
for family and friends.
The dinner usually
includes a roasted
turkey and pumpkin pie.
Thanksgiving provides an
opportunity to look at
pioneer life, and it is
an ideal time to
celebrate the importance
of Canadian farmers for
all Canadians.
|