Monday is Canadian Thanksgiving -- here are 7 things you need to know

Monday is Canadian Thanksgiving.


For one thing, it’s always held on the second Monday of October. That said, Canadians will feast on the Saturday, Sunday, or Monday of the Thanksgiving long weekend.

The Canadian holiday also has a different history and origin than the US one — and many argue it actually came first.

Here are a few things you need to know about Canadian Thanksgiving.

Canadian Thanksgiving dates back to 1578 -- so it's actually older than American Thanksgiving.

Wikimedia Commons

The earliest Thanksgiving celebration in Canada dates back to explorer Martin Frobisher's third voyage to Canada. He lost one of his ships along the way, so when he landed in Nunavut, he held a big celebration to give thanks for his safe passage.

Harvest season is earlier in Canada than in the US, which might be why Canadian Thanksgiving is held in early October.


Another theory for where Canadian Thanksgiving came from is the French settlers who came in the early 17th century and celebrated their harvests in New France every year.

Many places in Europe held end-of-harvest celebrations long before either the US or Canada started doing it.

Canada did copy the US a little bit...

Courtesy of Gettysburg College

After the American Revolution, many British loyalists fled to Canada as refugees, and brought with them a few American-style Thanksgiving traditions, like eating turkey!

There used to be some awkward religious undertones associated with Canadian Thanksgiving.

Wikimedia Commons

Thanksgiving was originally a religious holiday in Canada.

Thanksgiving celebrations were pretty sporadic and unofficial at first, so a Protestant clergyman took it upon himself to establish some modern traditions, according to historian Peter Stevens.

But the Protestants ended up excluding the Catholics and other minorities in Canada. At one point, the government even held the holiday on a day when Catholics were meant to be fasting to make sure they couldn't celebrate it, according to Stevens.

Business Insider Emails & Alerts

Site highlights each day to your inbox.
