A CANADIAN THANKSGIVING-2017

Known for a big turkey meal with all the trimmings, the traditions do go back historically.
Different than the American one, Canadians celebrate on the second Monday of October every year. Our celebration has nothing to do with pilgrims.
It wasn't always like this.
In 1879 our Parliament declared November 6th to be a day of celebration of Thanksgiving. Then it was too close to Armistice Day after World War One.
January 31st, 1957, Parliament Proclaimed-
" A day  of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed!" So the second Monday of October became the holiday.
Harvest celebrations were always occurring in Europe and Great Britain. So those traditions made their way across the ocean when settlers came.

Our history tells us the English explorer Martin Frobisher had a ceremony in Canada in 1578 giving thanks for his arrival after surviving exploring the North West Passage. He held it in Newfoundland.  Samuel de Champlain- the French explorer- held a similar ceremony in Nova Scotia in the early 1600s giving thanks. The Order of Good Cheer!
Our First Nation people celebrated the harvest and gave thanks for the abundant crops.
Churches have cornucopia of fall vegetables and fruit from the harvest. In the Jewish faith there is the harvest festival of Sukkot.

Eating turkey and all the trimmings is the norm. Squash, sweet potatoes, corn and pumpkins are so generic to Canadian life. Apple, blueberry and pumpkin pies are a must. Yes cranberries are so historic too. They link us to the past.
So the first long weekend after the summer Thanksgiving is always a welcome event.
Celebrating and giving thanks is a good way to remember all that we have. Often Canadians will invite family and friends that may be alone at this time. There is always too much food anyway. So the more that join in the Thanksgiving table festivities the better.

So out to the farms and supermarkets for the abundance of food for the table.
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