As October unfolds in Canada, you will see pots of colourful asters and pumpkins of all sizes decorating front porches, cafe’s, stores and even workplaces. These represent the last harvest before winter arrives as we prepare for Thanksgiving and Halloween. Many newcomers are familiar with pumpkins as vegetables in savoury dishes, but not as decor, let alone a flavour in lattes and an ingredient in sweet foods like muffins and pie! But as an immigrant’s daughter, I assure you, Thanksgiving is an easy holiday to adapt to, and you don’t have to drink pumpkin spice lattes or decorate with pumpkins to celebrate, but your kids will likely beg you to.
Many newcomers to Canada are not actually strangers to harvest celebrations, many cultures have them. Thanksgiving in Canada is always the 2nd Monday of October and is a statutory holiday except in the Atlantic Provinces where they may celebrate it, but do not have the Monday off work.
The inspiration of Canadian Thanksgiving is closely tied to European Harvest celebrations in October, and this extended to Canada officially celebrating Thanksgiving, as we do now, starting in 1957. Canadians are now more aware that harvest celebrations also took place long before European settlement on this land and are thankful for the honour of living on the traditional lands of the First Nations, Inuit and Metis, as well as the peace and prosperity this land has given their families. As Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday, it can be celebrated by all Canadians, in their own way. Being thankful is simply human!
Newcomers to Canada may hear about American Thanksgiving and get confused, as their Thanksgiving is the 4th Thursday of November, which is different, but the roots in European harvest tradition and the turkey dinner menu are the same. But that’s where the similarities end. For Americans, in addition to parades and NFL Thanksgiving games traditions, Thanksgiving is the gateway to their Christmas season, as they go shopping for Christmas the day after, on “Black Friday”. These sales are also found here, but with far less hype and crowds.
Canadians celebrate this special day with family and/or friends with a dinner, typically on the Sunday and/or the Monday of Thanksgiving weekend as some have two different Thanksgiving dinners to attend. A traditional meal is roasted turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and a squash or yam dish; and for dessert, pumpkin pie. In my family, sweetened whipped cream is a must with pie, as well as chunky applesauce with dinner. This was a Dutch tradition my immigrant mother brought to our celebration.
Newcomers and Canadians alike include dishes from their countries of origin or choose chicken instead of turkey for dinner. Some go out or order in! If the weather is nice, many families visit a farm for corn maze and tractor-ride fun or go hiking to see the beautiful fall colours. Anything goes! In Canada, everyone may eat or do different things, but one thing remains the same: They are grateful to be living in this free and beautiful land called Canada! Happy Thanksgiving!