And because every day’s a school day… Canadian Thanksgiving, eh?
Yes, there are other countries and citizens who like to give thanks for their blessings.
And the Canadians have their day. tomorrow, October 13.
When they too bark back to settlers from the Old World.
And Martin Frobisher and his fleet landing in Newfoundland in 1579.
With Holy Communion and a feast in thanks for their safe passage.
Although the Canadians have only marked it as a national holiday since 1879.
This being Canada, naturellement, the French have their own story too.
And commemorate explorer Samuel de Champlain and his expedition from 1604.
Harvest for the world
So what do Canadians do differently?
Well, firstly the Canadians like to hold their day on an early Monday in October to correspond with harvest.
And, yes, they too feast on autumnal produce, Christmas fare for the rest of us.
Roast turkey, beef, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet corn and squashes.
And pumpkin pie, apple pie, and glazed yams.
Canada’s day
Now if you’re looking for that regional variation and that particularly Canadian feel.
Then it’s salmon, wild game and Jiggs dinner with split-pea pudding.
And not that we have to elaborate.
But Jiggs dinner is a boiled corned beef and cabbage dinner, commonly prepared and eaten on Sundays in Newfoundland.
Which the comic strip character from Bringing Up Father would eat.
And to finish a bit of the West Coast and British Columbian Nanaimo.
With its three layers of wafer, nut and coconut crumb base; custard icing in the middle; and a layer of chocolate ganache on top.
Touch down
Of course, this being North America there’s always a gridiron game to go with Thanksgiving.
And for Canada that’s their version, a televised doubleheader, the Thanksgiving Day Classic.