Wikipedia: the source of random facts or at least fairly accurate information!
I wanted to research the history of our Canadian Thanksgiving Day celebration and was surprised by what I found through Google and Wikipedia...
The first thanksgiving feast was initiated by Martin Frobisher, when he and his remaining ships and crew located a spot on Baffin Island (in Frobisher Bay!) to set up a settlement. He was on his third voyage to find that elusive Northwest passage for England but the weather and ice conditions proved too extreme and the establishment of a settlement did not proceed. The year of their thanksgiving celebration? 1578! But they all returned to England in the end.
Later on, in 1604 and following, the French settlers in Quebec held feasts of thanksgiving where they and their First Nations neighbours would share food together.
After Canadian Confederation in 1867, several occasions of thanksgiving were held, for various reasons. Following World War I, the celebrations of Armistice Day and Thanksgiving were set for the end of October and beginning of November, by proclamation each year.
Finally, by 1957, the Canadian Parliament "fixed Thanksgiving to the second Monday of October".
[All of the above information taken from the Wikipedia article "Thanksgiving (Canada)"]
Not nearly as dramatic or romantic as the American story of pilgrims and First Nations and turkey and pumpkin. Or is it?
With the English and French explorers vying for Canada's vast and rich resources and the harshness of our land and climate, is it any wonder these early folks stopped to thank God, yes, GOD, for safety and provision? We have so much to be thankful for in our great country. It is not perfect. Our history has not been pure and just to all those who have called this nation "home". But it IS our home and we have such abundance and relative freedom and peace.
The official proclamation of our government is worded thus:
"A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed."[1]
As we are about to partake in church services, turkey dinners and CFL football games on television, I am moved to celebrate with a heart of praise for our Canadian history and precedent to take time to 'give thanks' to the Almighty God. And as we are on the eve of a federal election on October 19, I am all the more motivated to pray for God's will and His choice for the government who will rule over us. "God keep our land glorious and free..." ~ from our National Anthem, O Canada.
Day 7 - How do your traditions for Thanksgiving reflect your cultural/family history?
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