Canadian Thanksgiving: What is it really?

This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving. Whoooooooo!

Turkey. Stuffing. Turkey. Mashed potatoes. Turkey. Pumpkin pie. Decorative cornucopias filled with gourds. Leftover turkey. Pilgrims. – OK, no pilgrims.

Canada doesn’t have the warm and fuzzy story of the pilgrims and indians [Native Americans? First Nations? Aboriginals? I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS PC ANYMORE.] sitting down and being friends hundreds of years ago to frame the holiday around.

If you are an American, you are probably thinking ,“Um, then what informs your decorations and costumes? How do Canadians make a consumer event out of Thanksgiving without some over-embellished backstory?” I don’t know, we just do. I guess we just like to eat.

There is a history of the holiday, it’s just not the basis of what Canadians do to celebrate it now. Thanksgiving in Canada has actually been around since 1799, according to the internet’s all-knowing oracle of information (aka. Wikipedia), and has been celebrated annually since 1879. Fun fact, Thanksgiving used to be celebrated on the same day as Armistice Day (now known as Remembrance Day), but gradually over time they became two separate holidays. There are some ties to First Nations people, but let’s be real: Canadian Thanksgiving is about food, family, fall colours and a paid day off work. And maybe, if your group is really into it, you will go around the table while eating the bird, saying what you are thankful for (and if your answer is not “for this dinner and having the best family/friends” you are an asshole).

Not all holidays have to have some big grand story for people to get behind them. The holidays that do usually end up getting transformed over the years to finally become a political, religious and ridiculous war ground of ‘what does this holiday really mean’ *cough* Easter…Christmas *cough*. Who needs that kind of tension? Do I really want to be sitting around eating myself to death while thinking about a baby being birthed in unsanitary conditions facing off against an old fat dude who breaks into people’s houses at night? Not really. So let’s not make a thing out of Thanksgiving. Canadian Thanksgiving is just a day to be thankful – and that should just really be enough.

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

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