How Canadian Thanksgiving differs from the US holiday

Canadian Thanksgiving happens next Monday, and families will gather for a traditional meal that looks similar to those served during the US version of the holiday. Even though the meals might resemble one another, there are a few ways in which the Canadian edition of Thanksgiving differs from that of its southern neighbor.

The first and most obvious difference is the timing; Canada’s holiday is about six weeks ahead of the US version. Thanksgiving in Canada has jumped around the calendar a few times since its inception, moving from April to November to its current date, which was set in 1957. This date made sure it never bumped into the Remembrance Day holiday, which is November 11.

While today both holidays have a harvest theme, their origins differ a little. Canadian Thanksgiving “was initially less about celebrating the harvest and more about thanking God for keeping early explorers safe as they ventured into the New World,” according to the article. It’s likely that the Canadian holiday started decades before the US edition, as the earliest recorded ‘thanks giving’ meal in Canada dates to 1578, when explorer Martin Frobisher and his crew ate a special meal of thanks for passing safely to their destination in present-day Nunavut.

Other differences between the two holidays are that there is no “Black Friday” equivalent after the Canadian one, and the northern edition is also less widely celebrated, while Thanksgiving in the US is one of the biggest holidays of the year. If you are planning for either the US or Canadian celebration, there are more than 10,000 online recipes for Thanksgiving appetizers, main and side dishes, beverages, and desserts in the EYB Library, including the Pumpkin pie [Meta Given] from Food52 Genius Recipes pictured above.