Canadian Thanksgiving traditions date back to November, 1879, when Thanksgiving was made an annual holiday. Canadians have been celebrating it on the second Monday of October since 1957.
Canadian Thanksgiving Origins
It was the Indigenous peoples who held the first communal feasts to give thanks for the fall harvest well before the arrival of European settlers. Some native tribes wanted to ensure a good harvest with dances and rituals. The European settlers brought with them a similar tradition of harvest celebrations (for which the symbol was the cornucopia, or the horn of plenty), which dates back to European peasant societies.
The first Thanksgiving by European settlers in North America was held by Sir Martin Frobisher and his crew in Nunavut in 1578. They ate a simple meal of salted beef, biscuits and mashed peas to give thanks to God for their safe arrival in the Arctic.
The first national Thanksgiving was celebrated in the Province of Canada in 1859. It was organized by the leaders of the Protestant clergy. It was to recognize God’s mercies. Basically, it was a holiday of giving thanks. The reason for giving thanks was different each year and was determined by the Parliament. The first Thanksgiving after Confederation (unification of Canada) was observed on April 5, 1872. It celebrated the recovery of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) from an illness.
The date of Thanksgiving changed from year to year. It sometimes coincided with Remembrance Day, and sometimes, it fell in December. Finally, on January 31st, 1957 the Parliament proclaimed that Canada would celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October. It was to give thanks to God for the successful harvest.
Canadian Thanksgiving Traditions
Canadian Thanksgiving traditions are very relaxed. People spend time with families. They go hiking, go on scenic drives to admire the beautiful, fall foliage and go to cottages. Since Thanksgiving falls on Monday, the Thanksgiving dinner can happen anywhere between Friday night and Monday afternoon. There is no fixed day for the Thanksgiving dinner.
The more, the merrier.
Thanksgiving is a family holiday, so people spend time with relatives, cook and drink wine together. They often have a few dinners over the course of the long weekend. It is not uncommon to meet up early in the day and cook together. Potluck (everybody brings a dish) is also not unusual. Since Canada is a country of immigrants, people who don’t have relatives, often celebrate the holiday with friends. If Canadians learn that their friends , colleagues or acquaintances don’t have plans for Thanksgiving, they might even invite them over, especially if they offer to bring wine.
The Outings.
The weather is usually beautiful on Thanksgiving weekend, so many people plan hiking trips, scenic drives or visits to parks and farms. If they visit farms, they gather or buy produce to be used during Thanksgiving dinner, like corn, pumpkins, potatoes, asparagus and cranberries. Some people rent cottages and hold the Thanksgiving dinner outside in nature. They set up a big table for friends and family and enjoy the usually sunny afternoon with good food and wine. People who own cottages use that weekend to close up for the winter, as it is the last long weekend before the weather turns cold.
Food varieties.
You will encounter different food varieties and flavours depending on where you live in Canada. In Newfoundland, people use a lot of savory in dressing and stuffing. They often serve leftover dressing over French fries and top them with gravy. In the Atlantic provinces, the Scots make neeps — a mash or puree of carrots and turnips, which is their comfort food. In French-speaking Canada, especially in Quebec, tourtiere (minced meat pie) is often served together with the turkey, and it sometimes even replaces it. Tourtiere are filled with minced meats (usually a mix of pork and beef), seasonings like onions and herbs, and sometimes potatoes. In Saskatchewan, people use Saskatoon berries in pies, scones, and crumbles.
Canadian dishes are different from the American ones. Canadians do not usually serve sweet potato pie. However, you might see sweet potatoes as part of a dish of mixed root vegetables (like carrots and parsnips) roasted with olive oil and herbs. You will also not see creamed spinach on their Thanksgiving table, but they might indulge in spinach salad with dry cranberries and goat cheese. Cesar salad is always a good choice. Also, you won’t usually find macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole or cornbread on Canadian Thanksgiving tables. Instead, green beans asparagus are commonly served. And even though Canadians love fresh cornbread, they usually serve classic dinner rolls on Thanksgiving.
A Great Idea for a Thanksgiving Dinner Menu
If you have a hard time figuring out what to make for Thanksgiving dinner this year, or you are new to Canada and would like to try a traditional Canadian dinner, here is a list of my favourite Thanksgiving dinner dishes. First, the three staples of any Thanksgiving dinner.
The turkey
The turkey can be made many different ways. One of the best I have eaten was deep fried in a turkey frier. If you have the money to splurge, you can get a decent turkey fryer just like this one. If you don’t, you can simply follow Martha Stewart’s recipe for this magnificent bird. I had used it for years and years before I came across the turkey fryer.
The stuffing
Stuffing can be either made together with the turkey or separately in a pan. Personally, I have always made it separately, because I prefer it crunchier. Here is another good recipe from Martha: mushroom stuffing.
Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce is very easy to make and is an indispensable part of the Thanksgiving dinner. Here is a classic Cranberry sauce recipe.
Besides the above staples, I also like to make salads. This spinach salad or roasted beet salad are fantastic choices. Additionally, I always make roasted sweet potatoes and squash, scalloped potatoes or simple mashed potatoes.
Dessert
Thanksgiving dessert revolved around pies. An apple pie is always good, but pumpkin pie or pecan pie are also common. One of my absolute must-haves is apple-cranberry crumble. It must be served hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Enjoy the Canadian Thanksgiving traditions!
