Every year, the same thing happens at Thanksgiving. Families travel from near and far to spend the weekend with family and to have supper with loved ones. People gather to give thanks for their blessings and fortunes, for those that are close to them, for their health and for others. Turkey, trimmings and pumpkin pie are feasted upon and for many, stretch pants are required.
As one gets older and their family and friends disperse throughout the country or maybe even throughout the world, these types of holidays become more and more important. At one point, these holidays have become about more than what they were first intended to be about. They have become about a weekend of reunion, a hearty meal, or for some, simply a three-day weekend.
You may be able to ask any grade three or grade four student about the history of the Thanksgiving, but for the majority of adults, that knowledge has been somewhat forgotten or replaced by something of more personal importance. Everyone knows that Thanksgiving stems from the act of giving thanks. And everyone remembers the story about the Pilgrims and the Mayflower, right?
And in the United States, it most definitely requires the presence of a football game. How that became a 'required' tradition, who knows? But much like in the case of our Labour Day, football has become an integral part of the holiday.
Wouldn't those who participated in the Toronto Typographical Union's strike parade to fight for a 58-hour work-week shudder in disbelief at the thought of football being the focus of the Labour Day?
But, traditions evolve... That is all there is to it.
When many of us think of our Thanksgiving roots, we think of the Pilgrims who took the Mayflower across the Atlantic on a journey that lasted 66 days. We think of the native tribe that taught the pilgrims to survive by growing food. We think of the fast of 1621, where the pilgrims fasted in hopes of receiving a bountiful harvest in exchange after a severe drought. And then we remember the celebration in Plymouth following the harvest, where the first thanksgiving feast is thought to have taken place.
And as Canadians, when we think of these roots, we would be wrong.
That history is not ours. That history belongs to our neighbours.
The evolution of Thanksgiving Day is one of diversity in our own history. The first evidence of Thanksgiving in Canada actually took place 43 years prior to that Plymouth landing. While the celebration still revolves around celebrations of harvests, our roots are more closely linked to the traditions of Europe rather than the United States.
The history of the first thanksgiving in Canada dates back to 1578 when Martin Frobisher arrived in Newfoundland and celebrated his safe arrival. Years later in 1604, Samuel de Champlain held huge feasts of thanks and formed The Order of Good Cheer where food was shared with their neighbours.
Celebration was held in 1816 when Thanksgiving was celebrated for the termination of the war between France and Great Britain. Thanksgiving to observe the cessation of cholera was held in 1933. Observation of the recovery of the Prince of Wales King Edward VII from a serious illness was held in 1872. And these are only a few of the examples that are marked down in our history.
It was not until 1879 when Parliament established a national holiday that Canada started observing Thanksgiving Day on a yearly basis. At that point the theme of the celebration changed every year in order to reflect an important event to be thankful for. While its earliest years focused on the celebration of abundant harvests, later years became focused on giving general thanks.
While the first Thanksgiving has little in common with modern-day celebration, its value and importance is as important as ever. Whatever you celebrate on your Thanksgiving Day, whether it be family and friends, good health and good cheer, the house over your head, the food on your plate, or simply a day of relaxation, have a good one!
