Today our neighbors to the north are celebrating “A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed…” (Canadian Parliament).
Unlike the U.S. version, Canada’s Thanksgiving has its origins in a feast held by Martin Frobisher in 1578 celebrating his safe return from a search for the Northwest Passage. Several hundred years later (1872) an official Thanksgiving holiday was observed to celebrate the Prince of Wales’ recovery from a serious illness. It became a permanent holiday in 1879, bouncing around the calendar until 1957, when it found a permanent home on the second Monday of October.
Like the U.S. holiday, Canadian Thanksgiving features feasting—and yes, turkey is often involved—and football. Canadian-style, of course. So to all our friends north of the border: Happy Thanksgiving! (Thank you Wikipedia and Women of Faith Blog!)
