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Whack Fall The Day
Nick

Canadian thanksgiving is usually the second week of October. Usually nice weather. Our tradition is to celebrate while we are camping so it's really fun. Living in a border town, I have family in the USA too. So I actually get to celebrate both Turkey days. So much fun. Enjoy your day! 

Canadian Thanksgiving means I get to go to my Canadian friends' house and be thankful that all my friends are such good cooks, and that we get two Thanksgivings to show it off!  Given that one of them is Jamaican-Canadian and the other Philippine-Canadian, and that the former is also a cocktail aficionado, there's always something new and tasty to try, and my random culinary Italianisms fit right in.  Problem is, it's all so yummy I've yet to remember to leave room for dessert!

Love, Columbine 

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Cool question. Here is the rundown (a great explanation taken directly from kidzworld.com lol)...just forgive the lack of proper spacing please...I am having a little issue with how things look before I post...to how things look AFTER I post. Not sure why? (Problem corrected - thanks Anne) Anyways...here you go:

Canadian Thanksgiving - How It Began

The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving are more closely connected to the traditions of Europe than of the United States. Long before Europeans settled in North America, festivals of thanks and celebrations of harvest took place in Europe in the month of October. The very first Thanksgiving celebration in North America took place in Canada when Martin Frobisher, an explorer from England, arrived in Newfoundland in 1578. He wanted to give thanks for his safe arrival to the New World. That means the first Thanksgiving in Canada was celebrated 43 years before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts!

Canadian Thanksgiving - Official Holiday

For a few hundred years, Thanksgiving was celebrated in either late October or early November, before it was declared a national holiday in 1879. It was then, that November 6th was set aside as the official Thanksgiving holiday. But then on January 31, 1957, Canadian Parliament announced that on the second Monday in October, Thanksgiving would be "a day of general thanksgiving to almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed." Thanksgiving was moved to the second Monday in October because after the World Wars, Remembrance Day (November 11th) and Thanksgiving kept falling in the same week.

Canadian Thanksgiving - The 49th Parallel

Another reason for Canadian Thanksgiving arriving earlier than its American counterpart is that Canada is geographically further north than the United States, causing the Canadian harvest season to arrive earlier than the American harvest season. And since Thanksgiving for Canadians is more about giving thanks for the harvest season than the arrival of pilgrims, it makes sense to celebrate the holiday in October. So what are the differences between Canadian and American Thanksgiving, other than the date? Not much! Both Canadians and Americans celebrate Thanksgiving with parades, family gatherings, pumpkin pie and a whole lot of turkey!

Darci

Go up to your name at the top right, click and then click on Site Options. You will see Cntent Editor and Quick COntent Editor. Make sure they both say  "TinyMCEwrapper"

Anne

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And when the winds of change begin to blow,
I'll whisper, "You're my lighthouse" in case you didn't know.

Sons of Maxwell

visit my website!:
Anne's Philly Phan Site at http://www.gbsfanatic.com

Hey!! It worked!

Thanks Anne...that has been driving me NUTS! Much appreciate the help.

D.

Nick:

I just googled it and discovered Canadian Thanksgiving is on a Monday. As stupid as it sounds, I was stunned! What Is Wrong With Those People?

THURSDAY, HELLO!

NOVEMBER... DUH!

BTW Nick - Thanksgiving on a Monday means a LONG WEEKEND!! DUH! Nothing wrong with THAT!

The thing that is nice about the Thursday version is that we get the next three days off with the left overs! 

 I teach kindergarten and recently used 'England" as a teaching aid in our "Settlement of North America"  unit.  On Friday the kids were making construction paper Mayflowers (turned Pirate Ships) and they burst into choruses of "far from the shores of England"

I managed to capture some of it on video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxRXeBkKeGQ

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Helen




I'm goin' Straight to Hell-On-Wheels!

Helen, that was so cool!!!  How neat that you use GBS music in your class

I always enjoy having our October Thanksgiving, and it is usually just before or just after my older brother's birthday.  American Thanksgiving is usually just before my birthday, this year it is the day before my birthday (I was born Nov 27).  You guys do get a four day weekend, and we only get a three day weekend unless we use a vacation day to extend it.

 

Helenwheels:

The thing that is nice about the Thursday version is that we get the next three days off with the left overs! 

 

Hmmm. That IS a bonus. Has me thinking we need to start petitioning for our OWN Black Friday for the one that begins our Thanksgiving weekend...I sure do think four days off beats the heck out of three...had forgotten all about Black Friday.

After pondering this topic, I have a question for our American friends! In Canada, although the actual holiday falls on the Monday, we often celebrate the whole Thanksgiving "weekend" where folks often have multiple dinners at various family members homes...ie. one Thanksgiving dinner at my parents with family on the Saturday, one at my in-laws with family on the Sunday and one at home (with whoever else is left) on the Monday (after which the thought of leftover turkey is not always a pleasant one - I often freeze it until I can stomach the thought of more turkey later). Do you do that over your 4 day weekend or is the Thanksgiving Thursday the big event and that's it?

Here in Philly, ythe Thanksgiving Day itdelf is the big event. Although I'd wager in some large families, it might be a weekend for visiting. Mostly though, people seem to dive wholeheartedly into Christmas shopping that weekend, leaving the leftovers for those who stay at home. I personally LOVE Thanksgiving leftovers and wish they'd last more than a day around here.

Anne

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And when the winds of change begin to blow,
I'll whisper, "You're my lighthouse" in case you didn't know.

Sons of Maxwell

visit my website!:
Anne's Philly Phan Site at http://www.gbsfanatic.com

Depends on the folks involved.  with the current group of people I hang with we all celebrate Thanksgiving day with our families - if they are close enough ( with friends if not) and then the rest of the week end we can have another dinner a day.  Last year it was dinner at mom's on Thursday, Friday at Mal's,  Saturday at Trish's and Sunday at Davyd's.  With several of the same folks showing up at all of the events - and others joining in from as far away as Rochester and Albany :)

  For other folks it's just the one day and it's over. 

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Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus
"Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." E. Wiesel
OKP's Resident B****
Imprudens est draconem vivum de consiliis tuis omittere.
Steet team Leader for NYS, OH and Southern Ontario.

Most of the people I know celebrate for several days visiting here and there-but one or two do the one day celebration. I agree with Anne-I'll stretch the leftovers out as long as I can-they're the best part-I always wish they would last longer!! I don't do the Black Friday shopping-we just stay home and munch out and laugh at everyone getting up at 4:30 in the morning!! No thank you-I'm off of work and I don't HAVE to get up early!! The best part overall is the 4 days off.....definitely better than 3!!( you all need to work on that!!) Either way-Happy Thanksgiving to everyone-past(Canada)and future(US)!!

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Summer Mis


"For those who know,no explaination is necessary-For those who don't,no explaination is possible"