In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second
Monday in October. The origin and history of Thanksgiving Day in Canada
is different from the American Thanksgiving. Whereas the American
tradition talks about remembering Pilgrims and settling in the New
World, Canadians give thanks for a successful harvest. The geographical
location of Canada is further north as compared to the United States
therefore the harvest season falls earlier in Canada.
In Canada Thanksgiving 2009 will be celebrated on second Monday in
October - 12th October 2009.
History and Origin of Canadian Thanksgiving
There are three traditions behind Canadian Thanksgiving Day:
1. The farmers in Europe held celebrations at the time of
harvesting to give thanks for their good fortune of a bountiful harvest
and abundance of food. The farmers would fill a goat's curved horn with
fruits and grains. This curved horn was known as a cornucopia or the
horn of plenty. It is believed that when the European farmers came to
Canada they brought this tradition of Thanksgiving with them.
2. The history of Thanksgiving in Canada is related to Martin
Frobisher, who was an English navigator. He made a lot of efforts to
find a northern passage to the Orient. Though he did not succeed in his
efforts but he was able to establish a settlement in Northern America.
In the year 1578, he held a formal ceremony, in what is now known as
Newfoundland, to give thanks for surviving the long journey. This is
considered the first Canadian Thanksgiving. Martin Frobisher was later
knighted and an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada was named
as ' Frobisher Bay' after him. When other settlers arrived here
they continued this ceremony of giving thanks.
3. The third influence occurred in 1621 in what is now the
United States. Here the pilgrims, who were the English colonists,
celebrated their first harvest in the New World at Plymouth
Massachusetts. By the 1750s this celebration of harvest was brought to
Nova Scotia by American settlers from the south.
In the 1600s, another navigator Samuel de Champlain crossed the ocean
and arrived to Canada. Other French Settlers also came with him and
their group held huge feasts of thanks for the harvests. On this event
they shared their food with the Native American neighbors and thus
involved them in their celebrations. Then they formed ' The Order of
Good Cheer' which marked the harvests and other events as well.
After the Seven Year's War ended in 1763, the citizens of Halifax held
a special day of Thanksgiving.
During the American Revolution the Americans who remained loyal to
England moved to Canada. They brought with themselves the customs and
practices of the American Thanksgiving to Canada.
In 1879, the Parliament declared 6th day of November as the day of
Thanksgiving and also declared it a national holiday. Over the years
different dates were used for celebrating the Thanksgiving Day in Canada
but the most popular date was the 3rd Monday of October.
After World War I, both Armistice Day and Thanksgiving Day were
celebrated on a common day that was Monday of the week in which fell the
11th day of November. Ten years later, in 1931, both Armistice Day and
Thanksgiving Day became separate holidays and Armistice Day was renamed
as the 'Remembrance Day'.
Finally, on January 31st, 1957, the Parliament issued a proclamation to
fix permanently the 2nd Monday in October as the Thanksgiving Day. The
Proclamation goes as...
"A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the
bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed ... to be observed
on the 2nd Monday in October…"
  
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