Celebrating your first Thanksgiving in Canada? Here are a few things you should know about this holiday:

1. It is held every second Monday of October

   Canada celebrates Thanksgiving in October, not November as our American neighbours do (they celebrate on the fourth Thursday in November). This has something to do with our geographical location. Canada is further north and so the harvest comes earlier, which is why we celebrate it earlier.

   But before it came to be celebrated on the second Monday of October, Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving on different dates. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, Thanksgiving celebrations were held either late October or early November. The earliest thanksgivings in history date back to the First Nations’ festivals of completion and abundance of the harvest, and the celebration of explorer Sir Martin Frobisher’s safe arrival in the eastern Arctic in 1578.

   In 1879, Parliament declared November 6th as a day of Thanksgiving, making it a national holiday. However, after the First World War, Thanksgiving and Remembrance Day (November 11th) fell on the same week. When this happened, the Parliament decided to move Thanksgiving to the second Monday of October in 1957.

2. It’s all about the harvest

   American Thanksgiving traces its roots to the Pilgrims‘ first celebration in 1621 at the Plymouth Plantation. Canadian Thanksgiving is traditionally about celebrating harvest. In the 1957 official declaration of Thanksgiving, the Canadian Parliament announced that it would be “a day of general thanksgiving to the almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada had been blessed”. Today, the celebration is generally an opportunity to express gratitude for all the good things in our lives. We celebrate Thanksgiving by enjoying a wonderful feast with our family and friends.

3. It is a statutory holiday

   Thanksgiving Day is one of the nine statutory holidays observed in Manitoba. This means you get to enjoy a long weekend with your family and friends! Since it’s an official holiday, most stores in Manitoba are closed or operate on a limited schedule. If you’re planning on running errands, going to the mall or shopping during the long weekend, do it on Saturday or Sunday, or check store schedules before you go.

4. Turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie

   Canadian Thanksgiving feasts usually consist of roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, cranberry sauce, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie. But don’t let this stop you from making the spread more delicious with your own traditional dishes. Many Canadian families celebrate with food like dim sum, ham, slaw, and other international treats. Just another sign that Canada is a multicultural country.

5. It is not as closely associated with shopping

   While there may be some “Thanksgiving Week Sales” before, during or after the weekend, Canada’s biggest shopping day is Boxing Day held on December 26th. In the U.S., Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, and is the most eagerly anticipated commercial event of the year. Americans consider this the start of the Christmas shopping season. Many take advantage of big discounts and special offers from most retailers on this day.

 
Updated September 4, 2024.
 
Sources: The First Thanksgiving in North America by Laura Neilson Bonikowsky (Canadian Encyclopedia); Canadian Thanksgiving (kidzworld.com); Three ways Canadian Thanksgiving differs from American Thanksgiving, Carolyn Ali (Inside Vancouver).