Happy Thanksgiving Canada

Canadian Thanksgiving

What, my neighbours to the south

shout, Thanksgiving in October?

Well dear ones, the Canadian

Thanksgiving feast came BEFORE

the US of A one and that's for sure!

How It Began

The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving are more closely connected to the traditions of Europe than of the United States. Long before Europeans settled in North America, festivals of thanks and celebrations of harvest took place in Europe in the month of October. The very first Thanksgiving celebration in North America took place in Canada when Martin Frobisher, an explorer from England, arrived in Newfoundland in 1578. He wanted to give thanks for his safe arrival to the New World. That means the first Thanksgiving in Canada was celebrated 43 years before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts!  http://www.kidzworld.com/article/2614-canadian-thanksgiving

You gotta hand it to those Newfies,

they sure do know how to celebrate.

  Unfortunately for the turkey,

                                                                    this birds is centre stage

                                                                    for the feast.

This October  celebration of  the harvest

makes sense;  I just have to visit

the Lunenburg market on Thursdays, 

which has become a weekly ritual, 

 to see the rich and colourful produce gleaming

from every table.

Lunenburg Market on Thursday morning

What is the biggest difference between

Canadian Thanksgiving and the one

that is celebrated south of this border?;

there is no "black" Friday following the

feast."  In fact, the actual day for

thanksgiving falls on the second Monday

in October when the leaves are mixing

their glorious burnt-orange-yellow-

flaming-red palette of autumn colours.

Seeing that I live with two Americans we

will also be celebrating again in November.

You cannot have too many days in your life

where giving thanks is reason enough to

celebrate.

Happy Thanksgiving!