Canadian Thanksgiving: What Are The Differences With American Thanksgiving?

Did you know that Canada celebrates Thanksgiving several weeks before the United States, every second Monday of October? If you want to discover the specifics of the Canadian holiday, here are 5 notable differences between Canadian Thanksgiving and American Thanksgiving.

1- In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated earlier.

Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October, which is about a month and a half before American Thanksgiving.

In the United States, this big family celebration takes place on the fourth Thursday of November, to commemorate the meeting between European settlers and Native Americans in 1621.

In Canada, an earlier date was chosen because this holiday is traditionally associated with autumn harvests. The date of celebration has changed several times before being fixed on the second Monday of October in 1957.

Celebrating in October also avoids Thanksgiving falling on the same day as another important Canadian holiday: Remembrance Day, which is held on November 11th.

2- The historical origins of the celebration are different.

The first American Thanksgiving was organized by the Plymouth colonists in 1621. They shared a meal with the Native Americans after a successful harvest, to thank them for helping cultivate the land and escape famine.

In Canada, the origins of the holiday are believed to predate 1621. The first Canadian Thanksgiving meal is generally attributed to Martin Frobisher. This British explorer allegedly organized a thanksgiving ceremony in 1578 to celebrate surviving a perilous journey in the Arctic.

In Canada, Thanksgiving is an autumn holiday meant to celebrate the abundance of harvests. But originally, this holiday primarily served as a way to thank God for ensuring the safety of the first settlers venturing into the New World...

3- Culinary traditions are not exactly the same.

Canadian Thanksgiving is primarily an opportunity to gather with family and celebrate the beginning of autumn and the harvest with a big seasonal meal.

During the American Revolution, many Americans who remained loyal to England moved to Canada. They brought with them the customs and traditions of Thanksgiving, so much so that the culinary traditions of this holiday have significant similarities between the two countries.

For the occasion, both Canadians and Americans typically prepare a turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, and other fall vegetables as sides, and a pumpkin pie for dessert...

However, there are some differences in Thanksgiving recipes and the dinner served depending on whether you are in Canada or the United States. In Canada, game stew sometimes replaces the turkey.

Canadians prepare sweet potatoes as mashed, while Americans often cook them in a casserole. During this festive dinner, Canadians serve wheat-based rolls, while Americans traditionally serve cornbread or muffins.

Lastly, Canadian pumpkin pie is spiced with ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves, while American pie is sweeter and creamier.

4- In Canada, celebrations are more modest and shorter in duration.

While Thanksgiving Day was officially declared a holiday in the United States by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, Canadian Thanksgiving has been a national holiday since 1879.

In the United States, the celebration lasts for 4 days and is one of the most important celebrations of the year, with huge parades, large family gatherings, and football. In Canada, although football is also enjoyed and houses and streets are decorated with pumpkins and cornucopias, this holiday is more modest.

In fact, this Monday is not a holiday in some provinces in the Atlantic and Quebec! Families do not travel as far to gather and organize this dinner in a more relaxed manner to celebrate the autumn harvest. The parades are smaller and more local, with one of the most well-known being the Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest.

5- There is no equivalent of Black Friday in Canada.

In the Canadian provinces where this Monday is a holiday, Thanksgiving offers residents a long weekend of 3 days. However, the festivities are not followed by a shopping frenzy like the American Black Friday.

In the United States, the day after Thanksgiving is an intense shopping day that marks the start of Christmas shopping and the holiday season.

In Canada, there is nothing comparable since the holiday is held on the second Monday of October and Christmas is still far away.

If this presentation has made you want to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving in Paris, the best place to do so is The Great Canadian Pub located in the 6th arrondissement at 25, Quai des Grands Augustins. In conclusion: Happy Thanksgiving, Canadians!