In Canada today, the second Monday in October, it is Thanksgiving.

Canadian troops attend a Thanksgiving Mass in the bombed-out Cambrai Cathedral, France, in October 1918.

When I lived in the US, I would hear comments that our Thanksgiving was earlier than the US version because our harvest season is so much earlier. Of course, if you live in North Dakota or Wisconsin that isn’t necessarily the case. But, that’s a whole different issue. Then there was the standard and quite derisive comments about how Canada was merely trying to copy the American version of the holiday.

Wrong!

According to many historians, the first Canadian Thanksgiving was held in present day Nunavut in 1578. The first American Thanksgiving, on the other hand, occurred in Plymouth in 1621.

English explorer Martin Frobisher
LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA / E010775200-V6

Martin Frobisher was conducting his third unsuccessful voyage in search for the elusive Northwest Passage to Asia in 1578. Icy waters and storms drove his vessels to land on Baffin Island. A celebration of survival and thanksgiving was held with indigenous peoples. While not nailed down to a specific date, an annual day of thanksgiving began to take form. On January 31, 1957, Governor General Vincent Massey issued a proclamation. It stated: “A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed – to be observed on the second Monday in October.” It has remained that date ever since.

In contrast, the first American Thanksgiving was held in 1621. After a good harvest, the Pilgrim Fathers, who had travelled to America aboard the Mayflower, organized a great feast. Prior to the feast the men went out “fowling” – hunting for turkeys, geese and ducks. During the festival, a large number of local indigenous people joined in. They offered venison, vegetables fish and beer for the celebration.

As in Canada, Thanksgiving in the US was celebrated irregularly and usually at the end of the harvest season. It became an official celebration on October 3, 1863. President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving. It was to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26. There remained much controversy about the very nature of a Thanksgiving between the northern states and the southern. Each president since has had to proclaim Thanksgiving annually until 1942. Then President Roosevelt issued a proclamation designating the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.

There are a lot of similarities between the Canadian and American holidays. The meal is generally the same. Turkey and stuffing, sweet potatoes and corn and all covered with gravy. Apple and pumpkin pie finishes the meal off. However, the biggest difference between the two relates to the later American holiday and its proximity to Christmas,

In the US, Thanksgiving is the official start to the Christmas shopping season. There are a wide variety of sales, highlighted by the Black Friday sales. Parades have long been a part of the festivities. Since 1924 the Macy’s parade in New York City has been the centrepiece parade with its huge balloons and Santa Claus in the final float. I visited New York for the parade in 2007. It was well worth the visit.

So, what is it that YOU give thanks for on this day?

For me it is fairly simple: I have lived in many parts of the world and have visited many more. I am very thankful for having settled down in the Okanagan Valley. I have the great privilege of waking up (almost) every morning beside a woman that I adore and who saved my life many years ago. I am very thankful that, in spite of all of the damages that I have inflicted to my body, I am still able to push the limits and reach out to meet new challenges. I am also, very thankful to look up at the Maple Leaf that flies over this country. Proud and thankful to be Canadian!

Thankful to be on The Road To Valour!