Thanksgiving Day can be confusing for new Canadians and visitors to Canada. Most countries don’t have holidays like this. You may feel like skipping the whole thing. But it’s a major holiday in Canada, and if you join in the celebrations, you’ll feel much more at home here.
Your first Canadian Thanksgiving will be a happy one if you know a few things:
- It is the second Monday in October. So it’s on a different date every year. For the first few years I lived in Canada, I didn’t realize Thanksgiving was coming up until I saw ads for turkeys. Check your calendar and get ready.
- It is an official (legal) holiday. Schools and most businesses will be closed. Some stores, especially pharmacies and supermarkets, remain open. But supermarkets probably won’t have any more turkeys. (See #5.)
- It’s not just for church members. Although Thanksgiving Day was started to give thanks to God, it was started by the government, not by any religion. Non-Christians and people with no religion also celebrate Thanksgiving.
- The traditional food is roast turkey. The turkey is usually stuffed with bread and spices. (You can get instant stuffing.) Sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie are also traditional parts of the meal.
- If you are in charge of buying the turkey, you should do so at least a week before Thanksgiving. It can be very difficult to find a turkey, or even turkey pieces, in stores a few days before Thanksgiving. Also, frozen turkey can take several days to thaw.
- Canadian Thanksgiving is different from American Thanksgiving. It’s earlier, of course, but that’s not all. Thanksgiving in the US was first celebrated by a group of settlers called the Pilgrims. They were a religious group that wore special clothing. Americans see a lot of photos of them during Thanksgiving. The first Canadian Thanksgiving was celebrated by Martin Frobisher, an explorer, and his crew. We don’t see many photos of them.
- Nobody expects a card or a gift. You may see Thanksgiving cards in stores, but sending them is not a custom like it is at Christmas.
- Thanksgiving is important to children. If you have children in school, they will hear a lot about Thanksgiving. They will make Thanksgiving art projects and hear about other families’ celebrations. They will probably be happy to help you get ready for the holidays.
- Canadians look forward to spending Thanksgiving with their families. People can visit relatives out of town. Anyone who works on Thanksgiving should be paid extra money. If you’re staying with a Canadian family, they’ll probably want you to have dinner with them, at least.
- The most important thing: It is a day to enjoy. Try not to feel pressured. Thanksgiving is not about having a perfect day. It’s about being grateful for the good things in your life. And there are many good things about life in Canada.