| Thanksgiving | |
|---|---|
 Shopping for pumpkins for Thanksgiving inOttawa'sByWard Market in 1991 | |
| Observed by | Canada |
| Type | Cultural |
| Significance | A celebration of being thankful for what one has and the bounty of the previous year. |
| Celebrations | Spending time with family,feasting, religious practice,football (Thanksgiving Day Classic) |
| Date | Second Monday in October |
| 2025 date | October 13 (2025-10-13) |
| 2026 date | October 12 (2026-10-12) |
| 2027 date | October 11 (2027-10-11) |
| 2028 date | October 9 (2028-10-09) |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Traditionalharvest festivals practiced historically in Britain and France,Thanksgiving in the United States |
Thanksgiving[a] orThanksgiving Day,[b] is an annualCanadian holiday held on the second Monday in October.[1] Outside the country, it may be referred to asCanadian Thanksgiving to distinguish it fromthe American holiday of the same name andrelated celebrations in other regions.[2][3][4]
Thanksgiving has been officially celebrated as an annualholiday in Canada since November 6, 1879.[5] While the date varied by year and was not fixed, it was commonly the second Monday in October.[5]
On January 31, 1957, theGovernor General of CanadaVincent Massey issued aproclamation stating: "A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed – to be observed on the second Monday in October."[6][7]
Thanksgiving is astatutory holiday in most of Canada, and an optional holiday in theAtlantic provinces ofPrince Edward Island,Newfoundland and Labrador,Nova Scotia andNew Brunswick.[8][9] Companies that are regulated by thefederal government, such as those in the telecommunications and banking sectors, recognize the holiday everywhere.[10][11][12][13][14]
As aliturgical festival, Thanksgiving corresponds to the British and continental Europeanharvest festival, with churches decorated withcornucopias,pumpkins, corn, wheat sheaves, and other harvest bounty. While the actual Thanksgiving holiday is on a Monday, Canadians may gather for theirThanksgiving feast on any day during the long weekend; however, Sunday is considered the most common. Foods traditionally served at Thanksgiving include roastedturkey,roast beef,ham,stuffing,mashed potatoes withgravy,sweet potatoes,cranberry sauce,rutabagas and othertubers,sweet corn, various autumn vegetables (including various kinds ofsquashes, but alsoBrussels sprouts),pumpkin pie,apple pie, and glazedyams. Various regional dishes and desserts may also be served, including salmon, wild game,Jiggs dinner with split-pea pudding,butter tarts, andNanaimo bars.[15]
InCanadian football, theCanadian Football League holds theThanksgiving Day Classic. It is one of two weeks in which the league plays on Monday afternoons,[16] the other being theLabour Day Classic. Historically adoubleheader, since 2022 only one game has been hosted on the holiday, with theMontreal Alouettes permanently hosting theOttawa Redblacks.
Many communities in Canada hold events in the week prior to and on the day of the holiday. For example, theMarkham Fair is an annual agricultural and harvest festival held during the weekend before Thanksgiving,[17]Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest holds an annual parade consisting of floats, civic figures in the region, local performance troupes and marching bands,[18] andFort Langley holds a widely attended neighbourhood festival celebrating the cranberry harvest, in which local crafts, produce, and artisan goods are sold.[19]
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According to historians, the first celebration of Thanksgiving in North America occurred in 1579 after the safe landing ofMartin Frobisher's fleet in Newfoundland[20] after an unsuccessful attempt in search of theNorthwest Passage.[5] His third voyage, to theFrobisher Bay area ofBaffin Island in the presentCanadian territory ofNunavut, set out with the intention of starting a small settlement. His fleet of fifteen ships was outfitted with men, materials, and provisions. However, the loss of one of his ships through contact with ice, along with many of the building materials, was to prevent him from doing so. The expedition was plagued by ice and freak storms, which at times scattered the fleet; on meeting again at their anchorage in Frobisher Bay, "... Mayster Wolfall, a learned man, appointed by Her Majesty's Counsel to be their minister and preacher, made unto them a godly sermon, exhorting them especially to be thankful to God for their strange and miraculous deliverance in those so dangerous places ...". They celebratedHoly Communion and, "The celebration of divine mystery was the first sign, scale, and confirmation of Christ's name, death and passion ever known in all these quarters."[21][page needed] (The notion of Frobisher's service being first on the continent has come into dispute, as Spaniards conducted similar services inSpanish North America during the mid-16th century, decades before Frobisher's arrival.[22][23])
Years later,French settlers, having crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorerSamuel de Champlain, from 1604, also held feasts of thanks. They formed theOrder of Good Cheer and held feasts, possibly with participation of some local indigenous groups or individuals with whom they had some contact, though this is apocryphal and may be derived from some conflation with the prominent American legend about their similar holiday.[24]
After theSeven Years' War ended in 1763, withNew France handed over to the British, the citizens ofHalifax held a special day of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving days were observed beginning in 1799 but did not occur every year.[25] The 1799 Thanksgiving was held to commemorate the military victory of British North America "over its enemy".
During and after theAmerican Revolution, American refugees whoremained loyal toGreat Britain moved from the newly independent United States to the provinces that would later unite as the Dominion of Canada, including the newly established colonies ofUpper Canada (nowOntario) andNew Brunswick. Many of the members of theOld Colony Club, which consisted of descendants of thePilgrims who partook in thetraditional "first Thanksgiving" of 1621, were Loyalists;[26] when they were exiled, they brought the customs and practices of the American Thanksgiving to Canada, such as the turkey, pumpkin, and squash.[27]
Lower Canada andUpper Canada observed Thanksgiving on different dates; for example, in 1816, both celebrated Thanksgiving for the termination of theWar of 1812 between France, the U.S. and Great Britain, with Lower Canada marking the day on May 21 and Upper Canada on June 18 (Waterloo Day).[25] In 1838, Lower Canada used Thanksgiving to celebrate the end of theLower Canada Rebellion.[25] Following the rebellions, the two Canadas were merged into a unitedProvince of Canada, which observed Thanksgiving six times from 1850 to 1865.[25] During this period, Thanksgiving was a solemn, mid-week celebration.[28]
The first Thanksgiving Day afterConfederation was observed as acivic holiday on April 5, 1872, to celebrate the recovery of thePrince of Wales (later KingEdward VII) from a serious illness.[29]
For many years before it was declared a national holiday in 1879, Thanksgiving was celebrated in either late October or early November. From 1879 onward, Thanksgiving Day has been observed every year, the date initially being a Thursday in November.[30] AfterWorld War I, an amendment to the Armistice Day Act established thatArmistice Day and Thanksgiving would, starting in 1921, both be celebrated on the Monday of the week in which November 11 occurred.[29] Ten years later, in 1931, the two days became separate holidays, and Armistice Day was renamedRemembrance Day. From 1931 to 1957, the date was set by proclamation, generally falling on the second Monday in October, except for 1935, when it was moved due to a general election.[25][29] In 1957, Parliament fixed Thanksgiving as the second Monday in October.[29] The theme of the Thanksgiving holiday also changed each year to reflect an important event for which to be thankful. In its early years, it was for an abundant harvest and occasionally for a special anniversary.[25]
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