Thanksgiving Day is an annual holiday celebrated mainly by Americans and Canadians. Thanksgiving is a celebration of the harvest and thanksgiving for the abundance of life. This holiday in the United States and Canada has many similarities but also certain differences.
Thanksgiving in Canada has a long history, believed to have originated in 1578, when explorer Sir Martin Frobisher and his crew held a thanksgiving ceremony after returning safely from their Arctic voyage. Later, in 1606, Samuel de Champlain, the founder of New France (the predecessor Canada), also held feasts with the indigenous people to celebrate the harvest. Meanwhile, Thanksgiving in the United States is believed to have originated in 1621, when the Pilgrims at Plymouth befriended the Wampanoag people and shared a feast to celebrate the first harvest.
Today, in Canada, where the harvest is earlier, the holiday is celebrated on the second Monday of October. In the United States, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. The Friday (also known as Black Friday) after Thanksgiving is the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States, with many stores beginning to stock up on holiday merchandise shortly after Halloween. Thanksgiving in Canada is not a national holiday, but is officially celebrated in some provinces and territories, such as Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Canadians simply take the day off to celebrate with family and friends. Meanwhile, Thanksgiving in the United States is a national holiday and is celebrated nationwide. Americans typically take four days off to travel, watch football, go shopping, and participate in charity work.
(Source: internet)
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