Hey there, Whyville! This is Giggler01, proud Canadian, celebrating Turkey day. What?! Why am I celebrating turkey day in the middle of October? Because unlike the U.S.A., the Canadian thanksgiving falls on the second Monday of October. If you're American you might think this is pretty strange. Since I noticed that no one else had written about this tradition, I decided to write an explanation. (Please excuse the fact that it's a bit late! ;-)
Hard as it is to believe, the Canadian Thanksgiving has been around longer then the American holiday. It first took place in Europe, long before anyone settled in North America. Farmers would celebrate their harvest and their food this way, often filling a goat's curved with fruit and grain. This was called a "cornucopia" or "Horn of Plenty", and is now a symbol of the Canadian Thanksgiving, as well as the U.S.'s.
In the year of 1578, Martin Frobisher held a ceremony in what would become Newfoundland. During Frobisher's ceremony, he gave thanks for surviving the journey to modern day Canada. In the years that followed, others continued with the same sort of ceremonies. Frobisher was knighted some years later, and an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in Northern Canada was named after him (Frobisher Bay).
Another major influence on today's Thanksgiving occurred in the United States in 1621, before the U.S was actually a country. After their first harvest in "The New World", the Pilgrims held a celebration. This seasonal act was brought to Nova Scotia (a maritime province) in the mid 18th century. In addition, many French settlers were arriving, also having their own celebrations of "thanks".
There have been many dates used for the Canadian Thanksgiving. The first official Thanksgiving was November 6th, 1879, when it was declared a national holiday. On January 31st, 1957, the Canadian Parliament decided that Thanksgiving would be on the second Monday of October. This is usually after harvest, before the first snowfall.
While Canadian celebrations aren't nearly as big as the American celebrations, it is always a holiday. Relatives often visit, and enjoy a traditional thanksgiving meal. This meal usually includes turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, vegetables, (often squash) and is usually finished up with a serving of pumpkin pie.
If you'd like to learn more about the Canadian Thanksgiving, you can visit these websites, where I got my information.
Well, I'm leaving you now to go to homework. It's no fun doing homework on Thanksgiving Day, but someone's gotta do it. Until next, time this is Giggler01, saying, "Did you know that Alberta has less rats then any other place in the world?"
