Canadians from coast to coast are gearing up for Thanksgiving 2015 to be held this year on October 12th.
While Canadians will celebrate this holiday much earlier than our American Cousins, we will probably be feasting on many of the same food items. After all, that is what Thanksgiving is all about. We are thankful for the great summer months and the produce that farmer’s fields everywhere have grown. We delight in what Mother Nature has provided us with, for our family and that we live in a land of plenty. We are not starving, we have security and peace within our neighbourhoods and we don’t fret about our daily lives. We have the luxury of not having to worry about our basic needs.
But here’s some interesting facts about Thanksgiving in Canada, that you may not know.
For many years, our Thanksgiving always was celebrated on the Second Monday of October , but, it was a moveable holiday. Sometimes it was celebrated in the Spring time. One year it was celebrated in June after the battles of Upper and Lower Canada came to an end. This was during the 1850’s and then Thanksgiving was only celebrated 6 times in a period of 15 years. Upper and Lower Canada were being fought over by the British and the French, each one was sure they would become the victors, not so.
So you see, it’s not a Holiday that has a long history in Canada. The first time it was celebrated in the Canadian Confederation as a holiday, was in April of 1872 and that was to celebrate the recovery of the Prince of Wales (later Kind Edward VII) from a serious illness.
In Canada the Holiday was only made permanent by a decree in Parliament in January of 1957. So the holiday is celebrated across Canada on second Monday in October. Our Southern neighbours will be celebrating Columbus Day or Indigenous People Day. Families in Canada, will gather on anyone of the days of the weekend, to eat turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and “the fixings”.
It really is a celebration of family, something that we should be thankful for.
Typical Menu for Thanksgiving:
Turkey, Bread Stuffing, Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Vegetables (squash, carrots, peas, brussel sprouts), and Cranberry Sauce. With the influx of Europeans, this menu may have added “extras” from whatever country of origin the celebrants are from. Pirogues, Glumpkies, Irish Soda Bread or Scones, English Trifle for Dessert, Lasagne, speciality breads and cakes, fresh fruit, you name your favourite food and it is likely to make an appearance at the Thanksgiving dinner table.
Check out any one of these Cookbooks to come up with a menu that will have everyone raving about the food and being Thankful to spend this Holiday with you!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
