Thanksgiving in Canada is all about being thankful for a plentiful harvest and spending time with loved ones. Canadians celebrate the holiday earlier than their neighbours south of the border due to an earlier harvest season. It is a holiday always celebrated on the second Monday in October and one most everybody looks forward to.
Who Started It All?
Martin Frobisher
An English explorer by the name of Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Orient, began the tradition in Canada. His efforts at finding the passage were unsuccessful but he did accomplish something very significant- he established a settlement in North America. The first Canadian Thanksgiving occurred in 1578 when Frobisher held a formal ceremony (in the province we now call Newfoundland) to give thanks for managing to make a long and safe journey to a new land.
Frobisher was eventually knighted and an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada was named after him- Frobisher Bay. Other settlers arriving in Newfoundland continued the tradition that Frobisher had begun.
French Settlers
French settlers arriving in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain also chose to hold feasts of thanks for their arduous journey across the ocean. They gave their festivities a name, “The Order of Good Cheer” and invited their Indian neighbours to dine with them.
Halifax, Nova Scotia
In 1763 after the end of the Seven Year’s War, the residents of Halifax, Nova Scotia held their own special Thanksgiving celebration, to much success.
American Citizens
American citizens who moved to Canada during the American Revolution but remained connected to their British roots brought many customs gleaned from the American Thanksgiving with them to compliment the Canadian holiday. Many of these traditions, such as the horn of plenty and pumpkin pie, are still a part of celebrations today.
Government Steps In
In 1879 the government of Canada made the decision to declare November 6th a national holiday set aside to give thanks. The date was changed many times over the years but the most popular date (for reasons unknown) was the third Monday in October.
After World War II ended, both Armistice Day and Thanksgiving Day were celebrated on the Monday of the week in which November 11th took place. After ten years of this being the case, in 1931 the two days became separate holidays- Thanksgiving was celebrated on the second Monday of October and Armistice Day (or Dominion Day) was renamed Remembrance Day and honored on November 11th.
Official Proclamation
The official proclamation from parliament declaring Thanksgiving Day in Canada as the second Monday in October came about on January 31, 1957. As of the start of this year, 2005, Canada has been celebrating Thanksgiving (on the books) for 48 years. But off the books it has been going on for over 400 years!