Thanksgiving
Day in Canada has been a holiday on the second Monday of October since 1957. It
is a chance for people to give thanks for a good harvest and other fortunes in
the past year.
Thanksgiving Day in Canada is linked to the European tradition of harvest festivals.
Many people have a day off work on the second Monday of October. They often use the three-day Thanksgiving weekend to visit family or friends who live far away, or to receive them in their own homes. Many people also prepare a special meal to eat at some point during the long weekend. Traditionally, this included roast turkey and seasonal produce, such as pumpkin, corn ears and pecan nuts. Now, the meal may consist of other foods, particularly if the family is of non-European descent.
The Thanksgiving weekend is also a popular time to take a short autumn vacation. This may be the last chance in a while for some people to use cottages or holiday homes before winter sets in. Other popular activities include outdoor breaks to admire the spectacular colors of the Canadian autumn, hiking, and fishing. Fans of the teams in the Canadian Football League may spend part of the weekend watching the Thanksgiving Day Classic matches.
In the US Thanksgiving is celebrated on November 24th this year, Thanksgiving Day has been an annual holiday in the United States since 1863. Not everyone sees Thanksgiving Day as a cause for celebration. Each year since 1970, a group of Native Americans and their supporters have staged a protest for a National Day of Mourning at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day. American Indian Heritage Day is also observed at this time of the year.
Thanksgiving Day in Canada is linked to the European tradition of harvest festivals.
Many people have a day off work on the second Monday of October. They often use the three-day Thanksgiving weekend to visit family or friends who live far away, or to receive them in their own homes. Many people also prepare a special meal to eat at some point during the long weekend. Traditionally, this included roast turkey and seasonal produce, such as pumpkin, corn ears and pecan nuts. Now, the meal may consist of other foods, particularly if the family is of non-European descent.
The Thanksgiving weekend is also a popular time to take a short autumn vacation. This may be the last chance in a while for some people to use cottages or holiday homes before winter sets in. Other popular activities include outdoor breaks to admire the spectacular colors of the Canadian autumn, hiking, and fishing. Fans of the teams in the Canadian Football League may spend part of the weekend watching the Thanksgiving Day Classic matches.
In the US Thanksgiving is celebrated on November 24th this year, Thanksgiving Day has been an annual holiday in the United States since 1863. Not everyone sees Thanksgiving Day as a cause for celebration. Each year since 1970, a group of Native Americans and their supporters have staged a protest for a National Day of Mourning at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day. American Indian Heritage Day is also observed at this time of the year.
There are claims that the first
Thanksgiving Day was held in the city of El Paso, Texas in 1598. Another early
event was held in 1619 in the Virginia Colony. Many people trace the origins of
the modern Thanksgiving Day to the harvest celebration that the Pilgrims held
in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621.
However, their first true
thanksgiving was in 1623, when they gave thanks for rain that ended a drought.
These early thanksgivings took the form of a special church service, rather
than a feast.
In the second half of the 1600s,
thanksgivings after the harvest became more common and started to become annual
events. However, it was celebrated on different days in different communities
and in some places there were more than one thanksgiving each year.
George Washington, the first
president of the United States, proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day
in 1789.
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