5 Facts About Thanksgiving in Canada

Monday is Thanksgiving in Canada. We use the holiday as a time to gather with family to enjoy a meal. There are several other things that have to do with the holiday too. Here are five things you probably didn't know about Thanksgiving.

1. An old holiday

Thanksgiving in Canada was supposedly first celebrated in 1879 but the date varied from year to year. Nowadays it is always the second Monday in October.

There is a belief among some historians that the first celebration of Thanksgiving in North America by Europeans occurred during the 1579 voyage of Martin Frobisher from England, in search of the Northwest Passage.

2. Older than that

Hundreds of years before Europeans arrived in North America, Indigenous Peoples marked the fall harvest every year with various celebrations.

3. A link to Europe

The Thanksgiving Day festivities in Canada closely resemble harvest festivals in parts of Europe, mainly France and Britain.

4. Football

The CFL typically holds a doubleheader, the Thanksgiving Day Classic. It is one of two weeks in which the league plays on Monday afternoons.

5. A popular vacation time

As we head toward winter, many Canadians use the long weekend as a time to take a short vacation or to spend some time outside.