Yes, Canadians Are Thankful Too
If you took the time to search Google, you'd find many 'here are how Canadian Thanksgiving is different/ same as American's'. There would also be plenty of references to maple, "eh", hockey and universal health care. Putting the played out aside, is it really that important to compare? Is there importance to drawing correlations between theirs and ours?
I'm voting "no".
We have a history behind why we also partake in such a holiday. We also are thankful.
Canadians.
Yes, the casual American might assume that Canada either A) doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, because shit, they aren't even Americans, damn it!; B) Canada just follows suit and tunes into the Cowboys game over a hot plate of homemade stuffing and store-bought cranberry sauce; or C)... they've never assumed, because they don't really care.
Traditions of giving thanks long predate the arrival of European settlers in North America. First Nations across Turtle Island have traditions of thanksgiving for surviving winter and for receiving crops and game as a reward for their hard work. These traditions may include feasting, prayer, dance, potlatch, and other ceremonies, depending on the peoples giving thanks.
For European thanksgivings in Canada, I have a few tales to tell.
As the story goes, in 1578, English explorer Martin Frobisher and his crew gave thanks and they observed communion, either on land at Frobisher Bay, in present day Nunavut, or onboard a ship anchored there. The explorers dined on salt beef, biscuits, and mushy peas and gave thanks through Communion for their safe arrival in the Newfoundland. This is now accepted as the first “Canadian” Thanksgiving, forty-three years before the first “American” Thanksgiving.
Forty-eight years later, on November 14, 1606, inhabitants of New France under Samuel de Champlain held huge feasts of thanksgiving between local Mi’kmaq and the French. Though not known at the time by the settlers, cranberries, rich in vitamin C, are credited with helping avoid scurvy. The neighbouring Mi’kmaq likely introduced the French to cranberries, or, as they called them, petite pommes rouges (little red apples).
Champlain’s feasts were more than an annual affair. To prevent the scurvy epidemic that had decimated the settlement at Île Sainte-Croix in past winters, the Ordre de Bon Temps (Order of Good Cheer) was founded, offering festive meals every few weeks. Medical treatises recommended better nutrition (more food) and entertainment to combat scurvy.
Foods that are associated with a “traditional” Thanksgiving, such as North American turkey, squash, and pumpkin, were introduced to citizens of Halifax in the 1750s by the United Empire Loyalists, who continued to spread this “traditional” fare to other parts of the country.
Today Canadian Thanksgiving is held on the second Monday of October every year, or at least it has been since Canadian Parliament declared it so on January 31, 1957. Before this, they had held a sporadic Thanksgiving in Canada, often coinciding with other major events and anniversaries.
It wasn’t until 1879 when Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday, observed annually and on one specific day to celebrate the recovery of the Prince of Wales from a serious illness. After 1879, we held celebrations every year but not always in October - it used to be observed around Armistice Day in November. But this was later switched to the second Monday in October, coinciding with the harvest which, owing to Canada’s cooler climate, is earlier than in the US.
Yes, Canada has turkey, stuffing, tablecloths, and some politically charged relatives. Perhaps on a smaller scale, not sure that's all that important. There's not a really giant parade or school plays or Black Friday midnight bloodbath-fueling flash sales. You won't get a complaint from me.
And, that seems to be the overarching theme: But, to think, for any reason, that Canadian Thanksgiving is a ripoff, a budget version, or a Mountie-accented impression is nothing but an exercise in American arrogance.
It's a day that exists free of American trappings. And that is part of the beauty. It's a Canadian holiday — nothing more. And in some Canadians minds, that's a reason to be grateful.
I think the most negative thing about Canadian patriotism is that it so often seems to be obsessed with asserting that we're not American. But I believe that this Canadian Thanksgiving isn't one of those things... thankfully.
A day to share what you're thankful for. Whether that be with family, your friends, a partner, the neighbours, your doggo is what it's all about, isn't it? If you are privileged enough to have a roof over your head, some food to put in your face, that's enough to be thankful. Is it not? Just make me promise, would ya? Leave the politics outside the front door. Love your loved ones while they are still around.
So just enjoy yourselves, Canadians. We have many reasons to plenty thankful for. Me? I'll start with the Indigenous people.
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