I was taken aback, listening to some American TV news anchors recently, commenting on unseasonable, vicious snow storms in their country’s Northwestern region. “We don’t usually see this kind of weather until Thanksgiving or later,” they marveled. Wait a minute, I thought: It IS Thanksgiving…
Yes. But only for Canadians. Why do we celebrate the Feast of the Bounteous Harvest so early compared to the Americans? We’re on the second Monday in October and almost they’re almost a month and a half later, on the fourth Thursday in November.
I usually tell Americans who ask me that Canada is so much farther north that the weather gets colder here earlier and our harvest season comes a month sooner than theirs. They usually just say, “Ah!”, nod their heads, and walk away satisfied. But there’s a lot more to it than that.
Not Just an American tradition
Most Americans naturally associate Thanksgiving with the First European settlers in the new world, the Pilgrims, and their celebration of having survived a full year in their new environs. Much is made of how – back then – the newcomers showed great warmth and gratitude to their hosts, the indigenous people of what is now New England, for all the help the incumbent residents gave them. Yes, a lot of things have changed. But that’s another story for another time – and place.
Today, Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated in a number of countries and cultures on various dates, including Canada, the United States, some of the Caribbean islands, and Liberia. Similar holidays occur in Germany and Japan.
But Wikipedia reveals that the Fall Feast of Thanks has much older and deeper roots:
“Setting aside time to give thanks for one’s blessings, along with holding feasts to celebrate a harvest, are both practices that long predate the European settlement of North America. The first documented thanksgiving services in territory currently belonging to the United States were conducted by Spaniards and the French in the 16th century. […] [P]ractices such as expressing gratitude, sharing, and giving away, are integral to many indigenous cultures and communities.”
Why Turkey?
Why not?
It’s just a coincidence that Turkey is traditionally served in both Canada and the U.S. for Thanksgiving dinner. The tradition that came over from Great Britain with my forebears called for a Goose at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but Geese were not as plentiful here as there, and you could go out and shoot a wild Turkey at the back of your wood lot almost any day of the year. The idea was, you needed a big bird to feed a big family crowd. And there were few, if any, other indigenous choices.
Here in Canada, here’s no hard-and-fast rule about then the great feast should take place. different families pig out at lunch or supper, on the Sunday or the Monday. In the U.S., of course, Thursday is ‘it’, and Friday (which is not officially a holiday) is also taken off by most folks, making Thanksgiving a 4-day long weekend. But the Turkey remains the centrepiece of the festivities.
One more thing: As a cook, I love the almost endless possibilities that Turkey presents for ‘Encore’ leftover meals. I’m rather partial to the BLTT (Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato and Turkey) Dagwood Sandwich (see photo, above left) which can be thrown together in minutes and keep me satisfied for hours…
But most of all…
Thanksgiving is traditionally a time for the whole family to get together, to take a break from the daily, weekly, monthly grind, to renew old ties, to remember those who have gone before us, and to give thanks for all we have.
Now, I must ‘get on my bike’, as my paternal Grandmother used to say, and start thinking about what version of Turkey Encore I’ll serve for supper tonight!
~ Maggie J.