When is Candaian Thanksgiving and what is the history behind it?

Question

So, I was flipping through my calendar and I saw Thanksgiving Day (Canada). And I was like, "Odd. I thought Thanksgiving was on the last Thursday of November, why so early?" so any thoughts why? I would like to know.

Answer 1

Thanksgiving Day Proclaimed as "a day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed," Thanksgiving draws upon 3 traditions: harvest celebrations in European peasant societies for which the symbol was the cornucopia (horn of plenty); formal observances, such as that celebrated by Martin FROBISHER in the eastern Arctic in 1578 - the first North American Thanksgiving; and the Pilgrims' celebration of their first harvest in Massachusetts (1621) involving the uniquely American turkey, squash and pumpkin. The celebration was brought to Nova Scotia in the 1750s and the citizens of Halifax commemorated the end of the SEVEN YEARS' WAR (1763) with a day of Thanksgiving. Loyalists brought the celebration to other parts of the country. In 1879 Parliament declared Nov 6 as a day of Thanksgiving; it was celebrated as a national rather than a religious holiday. Later and earlier dates were observed, the most popular being the third Monday in Oct. After WWI, Thanksgiving and Armistice (later Remembrance) Day were celebrated in the same week. It was not until 31 Jan 1957 that Parliament proclaimed the observance of Thanksgiving on the second Monday in Oct. E.C. DRURY, the former "Farmer-Premier" of Ontario lamented later that "the farmers' own holiday has been stolen by the towns" to give them a long weekend when the weather was better.