A tale of two Thanksgivings

Posted by admin on Oct 7, 2010 in Back Issues, Volume 14 Issue 1 | 0 comments

The Mayflower: one boat in a history of millions that strikes gratitude into the hearts of all. For some reason, this dinky ship that went off-course and was most likely dismantled for scrap wood within a year of its return from America is remembered on both sides of the 49th parallel. Since then, images from the first American Thanksgiving in 1621 include men with big buckles on their hats eating with the natives; these are recognized everywhere.

But what’s the story for Canadian Thanksgiving? There certainly were pilgrims that came to Canada, but for some reason they were never immortalized by such classics as A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Maybe they should’ve worn funnier hats if they wanted to be remembered.

Rather than hinging the holiday’s history on one fall feast, Canada had a hodgepodge of random days dedicated to being thankful. English explorer, Martin Frobisher, held a thanksgiving feast in 1578 after surviving his exploration of the arctic. He was thankful, even though he had failed to locate the Northwest Passage. Around the same time, Samuel de Champlain and his French settlers shared their food with natives in a celebration very similar to that of the pilgrims in America. Then in 1763 there was a thanksgiving celebration for the end of the Seven Years’ War. The recovery of the Prince of Wales also merited a Canadian day of thanksgiving in 1872.

There were other days of thanksgiving throughout the years, but these were haphazard until 1957, when Parliament sanctioned an annual “Day of Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed.”

So what if chance has preserved a few more details about the American pilgrims instead of those in Canada? There really isn’t any difference between the second Monday of October and the fourth Thursday in November. Canadian Thanksgiving is held earlier simply because, being farther north, its harvest season is earlier. Many of the differences that do exist aren’t universally American or Canadian, but quirks unique to each family. Whether it’s sweet potatoes or pumpkin pie, old family recipes or microwave dinners, the concept is the same: family, food, and gratitude.
There is something to be thankful for everywhere. The variety of thanksgiving celebrations throughout both American and Canadian history show that there is reason to celebrate in failure, survival, peace, or simple existence. Even the history nerds who love knowing where traditions come from must at some point log off of Wikipedia and just say, “Huh, that’s cool. Now let’s eat.”

Bethany Roy
Contributor