For
those of you reading this who do not live in Canada, this past Monday was
Thanksgiving in Canada. To my Canadian readers, Happy Thanksgiving!
Our
holiday lands on the second Monday of October each year, in contrast to that in
the United States which is the fourth Thursday in November. Like the one in the
US, it is a celebration of the end of harvest and a time when families get
together. In some areas there may be parades.
It
has been a national holiday here since 1879 when the Canadian Parliament
designated the celebration with legislation. The date was not fixed at the
time, though. The current date of the second Monday was established only in
1957. It has been marked by Canadians wherever they may have been around the world
for a century and a half.
 |
| Members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force celebrate Thanksgiving in the bombed out Cambrai Cathedral in France in October 1918 |
Our
traditional menu is similar to that in the US, other than in localities where
different produce may be grown. Normally there is roast turkey (we had ham this
year) with stuffing and cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy (ours was
cheesy potatoes for a change), sweet potatoes (my favourite) and autumn
vegetables (there were carrots and peas on our table). Dessert, brought by our
nephew’s wife was apple pie (a traditional fall fruit) and ice cream (good
anytime).
It
was the United Empire Loyalists, coming from the US after the American
Revolution who brought us delights like the turkey and often consumed pumpkin
pie. And probably those great sweet potatoes as well! Thank you!
Historically,
apparently the first celebration in our part of the world (North America) was
by Sir Martin Frobisher in 1578 during his search for the Northwest Passage
through the Canadian Arctic Islands. In later centuries French and English
settlers organized feasts of thanks in the early autumn, sometimes sharing them
with their indigenous neighbours. Surviving Pilgrim settlers at Plymouth Colony,
in what is now Massachusetts, held their first harvest feast in October 1621.
The
event in both Canada and the US now feature football games although we do not
think that any of the original participants of the festivals played the North
American variety. Children may well have played with balls, perhaps even kicked
one around as their parents and ancestors had done for centuries before.
Thanksgiving
is for families. Whether they are small or large, include several generations
of just immediate family members, it is a day set aside to celebrate just being
together.
I
hope yours was a Happy Thanksgiving, too, this year...or will be in a few weeks.
