1. Canadian Thanksgiving is in Octoberâand on a Monday
Thatâs right! Canadian Thanksgiving happens a full month and a half before American Thanksgiving, on the second Monday in October (Monday, October 10, 2022). Since the beginning of the Thanksgiving holiday, its date has moved several timesâfrom mid-week in April to a Thursday in Novemberâuntil 1957, when the Canadian government officially declared that Thanksgiving would occur on the second Monday in October. This ensured that Thanksgiving and another Canadian holiday, Remembrance Day (November 11), would no longer overlap.
2. American and Canadian Thanksgiving Have Different (But Similar)Â Origins
Everyone seems to know the story of the first American Thanksgiving in 1621, but do you know how Canadian Thanksgiving came about? In fact, the first Canadian Thanksgiving may have even pre-dated the Pilgrimsâ big meal. The tradition of Thanksgiving originated with the harvest festivalâan autumnal celebration meant to show appreciation for the bountiful harvest of the season. However, Canadian Thanksgiving was originally less about celebrating the harvest and more about thanking God for keeping early explorers safe as they ventured into the New World.
In that sense of âthanks-giving,â the earliest report of such a dinner dates back to 1578, when English explorer Martin Frobisher and his crew held a special meal to thank God for granting them safe passage through northern North America, into what is today the Canadian Territory of Nunavut. The first Thanksgiving after Canadian Confederation didnât happen until April 1872, when the holiday was observed to celebrate the recovery of the Prince of Wales from a serious illness.
3. Thanksgiving Is a Little More Low Key in Canada
Thanksgiving is one of the biggest holidays of the year in the United Statesâwith huge parades, massive feasts, and footballâbut itâs decidedly lower key in Canada. Although the holiday is still widely celebrated in Canada and is a statutory holiday in most of the country, Canadiansâ approach to Thanksgiving is a bit more laid back. Thanksgiving in Canada involves families coming together to eat turkey and celebrate the harvest, but relatives donât tend to travel as far across the country like they might in the United States. And because the holiday takes place in early October, the weather is usually still suitable for a Thanksgiving Day hike or vacationâa tradition that many Canadians readily take part in ahead of the long winter. Plus, because the holiday falls on a Monday, the Thanksgiving feast may instead take place on Saturday or Sunday.
4. Thereâs No Huge Post-Thanksgiving Shopping Craze
Love them or hate them, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become a big part of the Thanksgiving season in the United States. In Canada, however, thereâs no real post-Thanksgiving shopping craze, since Christmas is still so far off. This gives Canadians the chance to focus purely on celebrating the beauty of early October and the harvest! That being said, no one can resist a good sale for long: in recent years, Canadian stores have started to participate in Novemberâs Black Friday and Cyber Monday, too.