Canadian Thanksgiving - a Short Origin and History:
Thanksgiving in Canada is celebrated on the second Monday of October, a month earlier than the U.S. simply for the reason that being farther north the harvest season falls earlier than in the south. It was on January 31, 1957, a proclamation was sanctioned by the Parliament and the day of Canadian Thanksgiving was fixed permanently on the second Monday in the month of October. The declaration stated "A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed...to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October."
The tradition started in the 16th century when a British Explorer by the name of Martin Frobisher reached North America while trying to make it to the Orient by Northern Passage. Being grateful to have survived the long and dreadful journey, he organized an elaborate feast with all the "trimmings" at a place where he was brought by his GPS, Newfoundland, thus the tradition begun.
Not to be outdone, French Explorer Samuel de Champlain, who also took a circuitous route to reach the southern part of Nova Scotia, he too being grateful for overcoming such lack of direct routing, organized the same feast. But realizing that to endure the harsh reality of Canadian Winter, the settlers need to improve their diet, thus he established the ‘Order of good Cheer’ and invited the Mi’kmaqs (native tribe) to join the "order"
, with their chief seating at the head of the table. According to many, the native people being familiar with the locality did much of the hunting for wild games such as turkey, moose, caribou and lots of other wild games. Smart those French.
Today, thanksgivings is celebrated among friends and dear ones, with foods and Turkey as the mean menu. Many may not be aware of how we come to celebrate this occasion, but the day meant to thanks for every little things that we are lucky to have, the bountiful harvest that this land yield, the freedoms abound, that many has taken for granted.
To one and all..Happy THANKSGIVING DAY....
