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Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island (North America) have a long history of celebrating the fall harvest.
Their communal feast and ceremonies were an expression of gratitude to the Creator and all of existence, and today, these gatherings and ceremonies are still celebrated in Indigenous homes and communally at Pow Wows. The first of these are believed to go as far back as 10,000 BC, predating the arrival of European settlers.
A Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address shared on Legacy Earth to Tables provides a beautiful Indigenous prayer given before all gatherings.
The first Thanksgiving by Europeans in North America took place in 1578. Sir Martin Frobisher and his crew celebrated their safe arrival in what is now Nunavut with a meal of salt beef, biscuits, and mushy peas. They also held a Communion service to express their gratitude.
There is some debate about whether Sir Martin Frobisher's celebration can be considered the first "real" Thanksgiving. Some argue that Thanksgiving should only be associated with celebrating a harvest.
In 1606, Samuel de Champlain established the Ordre de Bon Temps in Port Royal to prevent scurvy and celebrate the return of Jean de Biencourt de Poutrincourt from an expedition. This rotating feast also welcomed local Mi'kmaq families.
The prototypical Thanksgiving feast with turkey, squash, and pumpkin was introduced to Nova Scotia in the 1750s. Halifax commemorated the end of the Seven Years' War in 1763 with a day of Thanksgiving. This celebration soon spread to other parts of Canada as Loyalists brought the tradition.
The first national Thanksgiving in Canada was held in 1859. Protestant clergy leaders organized the holiday, adopting the American Thanksgiving that started in 1777 and became a national day of Thanksgiving and prayer in 1789. However, some Canadians objected, seeing it as a blurring of the separation of church and state.
After Confederation, the first Thanksgiving was observed on April 5, 1872, as a civic holiday to celebrate the recovery of the Prince of Wales from an illness. Thanksgiving became an annual event on November 6, 1879. Parliament determined the date each year, often selecting the third Monday in October. This date allowed for pleasant fall weather and outdoor activities.
Thanksgiving is an official statutory holiday in all provinces and territories except Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. In Quebec, it is called "Action de grâce" and is celebrated to a lesser extent due to its Protestant origins and associations.
The dishes served during Thanksgiving differ across provinces. For example, Jiggs' dinner is preferred over turkey in Newfoundland, while Nanaimo bars are a favourite in British Columbia, and butter tarts are popular in Ontario.
