Modern Vespa

Happy Thanksgiving to all the Canadian MV'ers here. Enjoy your gobble gobble today or tomorrow whenever you have it.

Benito, what is the story of Canada's Thanksgiving?

In Canada Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October. Unlike the American tradition of remembering Pilgrims and settling in the New World, Canadians give thanks for a successful harvest. The harvest season falls earlier in Canada compared to the United States due to the simple fact that Canada is further north.

The history of Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an English explorer, Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Orient. He did not succeed but he did establish a settlement in Northern America. In the year 1578, he held a formal ceremony, in what is now called Newfoundland, to give thanks for surviving the long journey. This is considered the first Canadian Thanksgiving. Other settlers arrived and continued these ceremonies. He was later knighted and had an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada named after him - Frobisher Bay.

At the same time, French settlers, having crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain, also held huge feasts of thanks. They even formed 'The Order of Good Cheer' and gladly shared their food with their Indian neighbours.

After the Seven Year's War ended in 1763, the citizens of Halifax held a special day of Thanksgiving.

During the American Revolution, Americans who remained loyal to England moved to Canada where they brought the customs and practices of the American Thanksgiving to Canada. There are many similarities between the two Thanksgivings such as the cornucopia and the pumpkin cupcake.

Eventually in 1879, Parliament declared November 6th a day of Thanksgiving and a national holiday. Over the years many dates were used for Thanksgiving, the most popular was the 3rd Monday in October. After World War I, both Armistice Day and Thanksgiving were celebrated on the Monday of the week in which November 11th occurred. Ten years later, in 1931, the two days became separate holidays and Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day.

Finally, on January 31st, 1957, Parliament proclaimed...

"A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed ... to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October."

Google is my friend.

OK, thanks! A very Blessed Thanksgiving to you indeed! A lot of great things happened in 1957

Thanks Benny, I thought we were just 'thanks-giving' for a day off of work.

That Benny, he's like a scootering Wikapedia!

We're finished to turkey and the clean up, going for a loooong ride tomorrow!

jacqui

So Benito, is a turkey the main dish like it is here in the U.S?

Turkey is generally the main dish- I think ham is a distant second! (Except in my house- who needs 20 lbs of turkey for two people!)

..all that, but instead of calling them Cockle Hats they called 'em 'Toques', eh?

Interesting.

Turkey tomorrow! Happy Thanksgiving!

Any pumpkin cupcake??

Have a great one, guys!

I believe this is the second time you've mentioned petards. I thought you were trying to diet?

Hey, try Alli, wear white pants, and enjoy a nice, greasy steak. Minus the details, tell us how effective the med is.

I thought it was too cold to raise Turkeys up in the Great White North.

Happy Turkey Day my brothas from the north.

Manny

Xronia Polla Canada and our Canadian friends.

A&A

We don't celebrate it here but Happy Thanksgiving to you Canadians.

Where do you think Frozen Turkeys come from?

Pumpkin cupcake is another common part of thanksgiving dinner, something I don't understand because I'm not very fond of it.

Love the cartoon! Classic!

Maybe you haven't met the right Pumpkin cupcake Benito. Needs the whipped cream. Hard to think that it's a cupcake made from a squash.
Ray, diet going bad. Doing the "see-food" diet plan. Actually certain meds are giving me a hard time......and no, it's not viagra!

Happy Thanksgiving All!



Regards
Harvey

...and here I thought it was Viking Day.

Man...Better put the liquor and beer away.