hdm

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend. I think that the main difference between Canadian and American Thanksgivings is that the US one is more or less a 'kick-off' for Christmas. While I'd love that four day weekend, I think I really prefer having a longer break in-between the two holidays. I lived in the US for several years and I always missed Thanksgiving in October.

I've heard about that deep-fried turkey but I've never had it. At our house my husbands smokes a turkey in the barbeque and it comes out all brown and gorgeous, like a movie turkey.

The leaves are late turning colour here in Toronto. In our very tree-y mid-town neighbourhood, the colour is just starting. Usually everything is bright red, yellow, pink or orange by Thanksgiving weekend but maybe the unusually warm weather has delayed the colour. I love fall but I wish we could have a couple of days of snow at Christmas and then spring again!

lmhornet

"lmhornet - the Canadian and American Thanksgiving celebrations developed independently at about the same time."

This is simply incorrect. The US holiday developed while Canada was still under the French. They had no such holiday.

It may have developed independently, but I doubt it. It isn't a coincidence that standard Canadian Thanksgiving food is identical to American.

"Thanksgivings is that the US one is more or less a 'kick-off' for Christmas."

This is also true and one reason that it is such a big holiday. The other is that it is nondenominational, so everyone can celebtrate it. Christians always seem to forget thaat a lot of people don't celebrate Christmas.

Unlike the US, Canada has no official policy of separation of church and state. They even pay for a school a catholic school system, something that would be unthinkable in the US.

traveller69

OK - this is what the history book says

"The history of Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an English explorer, Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Orient. He did not succeed but he did establish a settlement in Northern America. In the year 1578, he held a formal ceremony, in what is now called Newfoundland, to give thanks for surviving the long journey. This is considered the first Canadian Thanksgiving. Other settlers arrived and continued these ceremonies. He was later knighted and had an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada named after him - Frobisher Bay.

At the same time, French settlers, having crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain, also held huge feasts of thanks. They even formed 'The Order of Good Cheer' and gladly shared their food with their Indian neighbours.

After the Seven Year's War ended in 1763, the citizens of Halifax held a special day of Thanksgiving.

During the American Revolution, Americans who remained loyal to England moved to Canada where they brought the customs and practices of the American Thanksgiving to Canada. There are many similarities between the two Thanksgivings such as the cornucopia and the pumpkin pie."

P_M

The deep fried turkey is relatively new. As best I recall, it was in the late 90's that I started hearing of that. Deep fried turkey is absolutely delicious because it's juicy. Most people I know who serve deep fried turkey on Thanksgiving will buy one that is pre-cooked, as few of us own a deep fryer that's big enough for a turkey. Personally, I don't own a deep fryer at all. Deep fried turkey has not taken the place of baked turkey yet, but it is becoming increasingly popular.

Of course I like having a 4 day weekend, but I wouldn't complain if our Thanksgiving got bumped up a few weeks into October. I don't like the fact that Thanksgiving and Christmas are so close together. I think October would be a nicer month for a holiday anyway.

Carmanah

I think the biggest difference is that American Thanksgiving puts a lot of emphasis on American history - an actual historical moment with pilgrims, Indians, etc. In Canada, there's no such event.