Yesterday, our friends south of the 49th parallel celebrated Thanksgiving.
Ever wondered what the differences are between Thanksgiving in the U.S. and Thanksgiving in Canada?
Here are a few to take note of:
The date of the celebration
The most obvious difference is that our Thanksgiving is on the second Monday of every October. Well, duh! Canada got this one right. The U.S. celebrates it on the fourth Thursday of every November. Americans are still picking the Thanksgiving turkey leftovers out of their teeth on Christmas Eve.
The weekend
In Canada, we have a three-day weekend that is complete with a paid day off. An official stat holiday. In the U.S., they have a one-day holiday (Thursday) and then it's back to work Friday.
The significance of the celebration
In the country of all things maple syrup and hockey, we are thankful for a good harvest. Well, of course we are. Isn’t that the purpose of Thanksgiving, to gorge ourselves on whatever the late and early frosts didn’t kill?
In the U.S., they are thankful for God's bounty. Now, let’s talk about Black Friday. Is it really God’s idea to have bounty squandered at Target? We all know who he is: the guy who has been camping on the sidewalk since 3 a.m. so he can get a deal on a 52-inch flat screen.
National holiday
In Atlantic Canada, Thanksgiving is optional. We have provinces (Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI) where they don’t have to celebrate. They can go to work and they don’t have to cook a turkey and invite their drunk uncle.
In the U.S., Thanksgiving is observed in all 50 states.
Modern day Thanksgiving
In Canada, what started as giving thanks for a bountiful harvest has evolved into a three-day feast with family and friends. We eat turkey on day one, hot turkey sandwiches on day two and turkey soup on day three.
In the U.S., they eat alright; however, in a comatose fashion in front of the Black Friday steal-of-a-deal 52-inch television, binge-watching some 72 hours of football. Guy has no idea if it's his mother-in-law on the chesterfield with him, his drinking buddy or his German Shepherd.
— Marguerite Dodds is a TRU journalism intern
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