Today, as I opened my phone and browsed the internet, various messages about Thanksgiving quickly filled the screen. However, as a traditional holiday in North America, Canada remains surprisingly quiet. It turns out that Canada's Thanksgiving does not fall on the same day as the United States; it was already celebrated last month. What other lesser-known facts about Thanksgiving in Canada are there?
Thanksgiving did not originate in the United States, but in Canada
If you believe that Thanksgiving originated in the United States as a holiday established by European immigrants to thank the Native Americans for their help, you are mistaken. The Thanksgiving in North America actually originated in Canada.
In 1578, British explorer Martin Waldseemüller attempted to find a route from the Atlantic to the East but was unsuccessful. Ultimately, he established a settlement in what is now Newfoundland, Canada, and held a feast to celebrate survival and harvest. This is considered the first Thanksgiving in North America, occurring about 40 years before the Pilgrims on the "Mayflower" first arrived in the United States.
The date of Thanksgiving in Canada is not fixed
For a long time, the date of Thanksgiving in Canada has not been fixed; both English and French Canadians have their own dates, and different regions have their own variations. In 1879, the Canadian Parliament declared November 6 as Thanksgiving and a national holiday. In the following years, the date of Thanksgiving changed multiple times. It was not until 1957 that the Canadian Parliament announced that the second Monday in October would be Thanksgiving.
About Canadians and Turkey
Do Canadians enjoy eating turkey? A total of 31 million kilograms of turkey meat (which is one-third of Canada's annual consumption) is consumed during Thanksgiving. However, as the average household size in Canada continues to shrink, the sales of whole turkeys have been declining year by year. Since 1993, the number of turkey parts sold has increased by 80%.
New Immigrants in Canada and Thanksgiving
Various cultures in Canada influence each other, and Thanksgiving is one of the easiest Canadian cultural traditions for new immigrants to adopt. Some new immigrants may gradually forget their native culture, but they never forget to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving and host a family dinner.
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