Doesn't Canadian Thanksgiving always seem to come out of nowhere, sometimes even before the leaves starts changing colour? Canadian Thanksgiving 2013 falls on Monday, Oct. 14. — the second Monday of the month, as always.
Thanksgiving is a statutory holiday across much of Canada, from Quebec to British Columbia, but excludes Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island.
Most offices in provinces that celebrate the stat holiday will be closed on the Monday, though certain shopping malls and tourist attractions will be taking advantage of the long weekend business.
Depending on your family tradition, Thanksgiving meals can take place on any of the weekend days, though Sunday appears to be the favourite, likely thanks to all the time families have to prepare (and of course, the day off work on Monday to recover).
In the United States, Thanksgiving takes place much later, on the fourth Thursday of November, which makes this year's celebration on November 28. The discrepancy is simply due to geography and climate, since the harvest takes place earlier north of the border.
The first Canadian Thanksgiving is said to have taken place in 1578 to welcome home Martin Frobisher safely from his journey to discover the Northwest Passage.
Since then, the Canadian Thanksgiving has taken on characteristics of both its British heritage and American neighbours, celebrated most typically with a bountiful stuffed-turkey meal and other seasonal indulgences, as well as a genuine appreciation for all that Canada has to offer.
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