In Canada, on January 31, 1957, it was proclaimed that the second Monday in October would be set apart as:
"A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed."
Accordingly, up here in the North I'm stuffed with turkey, sweet potato and apple pie a full month and a half sooner than my friends to the South. For the fun of it, I thought a comparison might be in order. So here it is, a few things we share and a few things we don't as we celebrate Thanksgiving. Similarities:
- Both Canada and the USA have a holiday called Thanksgiving!
- Football is played.
- FOOD! Both celebrate with large and wonderfully scrumptious dinners, and often involve turkey.
- Gathering as a family is often a focus.
- Most importantly, though individuals may chose to not acknowledge Him or His hand in our lives and successes, both countries set this day apart as a time to thank God!
Differences:
- In the South it's on the third Thursday in November, and in the North it's the second Monday of October (I always figured it was because we have an earlier harvest.)
- Sorry, but average Canadians aren't nearly into football as average Americans. So, while there is a special game played, it isn't near as watched or loved as the American Thanksgiving counterpart. (At least, I've never watched it.)
- Canadian turkeys are more tender...or not ;)
- Americans are more set on the day they celebrate, while Canadians are generally more relaxed, celebrating whichever day of the weekend is more convenient. (But this should be no surprise as it took 150 years for Canada to finally settle on a official date.)
- Thanksgiving in the South launches the Christmas season, while I was given a lot of grief once for setting up my Christmas tree shortly after our Canadian Thanksgiving.
So there you have it...
But mostly, I just feel bad that you poor Americans have to wait another forty-five days for this:
What's your favorite part of Thanksgiving? And what is unique to where you live?
