Happy Thanksgiving to Canadians in Panama, Canada, and Around the World
Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day, is an annual Canadian holiday held on the second Monday in October. Outside the country, it may be referred to as Canadian Thanksgiving to distinguish it from the American holiday of the same name and related celebrations in other regions.
“Winter comes a lot earlier in Canada, so their fall harvest happens earlier, too. Canadian Thanksgiving was set as the second Monday in October, when the weather is still amenable to outdoor activities, since 1957.”
But the country was celebrating long before that. The first official Thanksgiving holiday took place in 1879, and in the following years, it didn’t always happen in October.
“The exact date for each year was determined annually by Parliament, which also assigned a unifying theme each year — it often centered around celebrating the monarchy”.
Interestingly the holiday occurred as late in the year as December 6 and even coincided with American Thanksgiving a few times.
As for the present day, some Canadiansopt to host their Thanksgiving meal the day before the official Monday holiday, allowing those who drove or flew in for the long weekend time to journey back home and not have to take an extra day off work.
So what do Canadians traditionally eat for Thanksgiving? On the surface, foods might not appear to be that different from those that will grace America’s tables on November 28.
That’s because the US had a heavy influence on what Canadians eat.
“Canadians very much appropriated the traditional Thanksgiving dinner from America.”
“The conventional spread of turkey or ham, gravy, potatoes, squash and rolls, with cranberry sauce on the side and pumpkin pie for dessert, is very typical across Canada.”
Date: Monday, October 14, 2024
Celebrations: Spending time with family, feasting, religious practice, football (Thanksgiving Day Classic)
Frequency: Annual
Observed by: Canada
Related to: Traditional harvest festivals practiced historically in Britain and France. Thanksgiving in the United States
Significance: A celebration of being thankful for what one has and the bounty of the previous year and below, the Moose and the Beaver
