-
When do some Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas?More >> When do some Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas?More >> Some people exchange Christmas gifts on Three Kings Day. When and where is Three Kings Day traditionally observed?More >> Some people exchange Christmas gifts on Three Kings Day. When and where is Three Kings Day traditionally observed?More >> The weeklong observance of Kwanzaa celebrates seven principles. Do you know them all?More >> The weeklong observance of Kwanzaa celebrates seven principles. Do you know them all?More >> Kwanzaa is a week-long African-American cultural observance. In what year was the holiday first celebrated?More >> Kwanzaa is a week-long African-American cultural observance. In what year was the holiday first celebrated?More >> What was the first New Year's resolution ever made?More >> What was the first New Year's resolution ever made?More >>
Provided by WorldNow
Canadians have been celebrating Thanksgiving since 1578 -- more than 40 years before the Pilgrims' "first" American Thanksgiving at Plymouth Plantation. English explorer Martin Frobisher established a settlement in what now is Newfoundland, and it was in 1578 that he ordered a ceremony to give thanks for a safe journey across the Atlantic.
Early Canadian history is sprinkled with thanksgiving observances. In 1879, the holiday was formalized by Parliament, which declared Nov. 6 as a day of thanksgiving.
In the years following first World War, Armistice Day and Thanksgiving Day were marked by a common celebration on the Monday of the week that included Nov. 11. (Nov. 11 was the date of the armistice ending combat in World War I. Americans mark the day as Veterans Day.) The Canadians separated the holidays in 1931. Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day and fixed on Nov. 11. The date for Thanksgiving was set by annual proclamation, usually on a date during October.
In 1957, Parliament passed a law setting Thanksgiving Day on the second Monday in October.
