Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends!

[petey]

Last night in chat, two of my Canadian friends (del and bear) educated me on the Canadian Thanksgiving (Monday, October 12).  I researched it after our chat and found out even more.  I "borrowed" the below info from Wikipedia to share with all.

Happy Thanksgiving, Del and Bear (and all the other Canadians on IHD).  Enjoy your week-end and your holiday on Monday.    

Various First Nations in Canada had long-standing traditions celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops. Canada's First Nations and Native Americans throughout the Americas, including the Pueblo, Cherokee, Cree and many others organized harvest festivals, ceremonial dances, and other celebrations of thanks for centuries before the arrival of Europeans in North America.

 
Canadian troops attend a Thanksgiving service in a bombed-out cathedral in Cambrai, France in October 1918.

The history of Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an explorer, Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean. Frobisher's Thanksgiving was not for harvest but homecoming. He had safely returned from a search for the Northwest Passage, avoiding the later fate of Henry Hudson and Sir John Franklin. In the year 1578, he held a formal ceremony, in what is now the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, to give thanks for surviving the long journey. The feast was one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations by Europeans in North America. Frobisher was later knighted and had an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada named after him — Frobisher Bay.

At the same time, French settlers, having crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain, in 1604 onwards also held huge feasts of thanks. They even formed 'The Order of Good Cheer' and gladly shared their food with their First Nations neighbours.

After the Seven Years' War ended in 1763 handing over of New France to the British, the citizens of Halifax held a special day of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving days were observed beginning in 1799 but did not occur every year. After the American Revolution, American refugees who remained loyal to Great Britain moved from the newly independent United States and came to Canada. They brought the customs and practices of the American Thanksgiving to Canada. The first Thanksgiving Day after Canadian Confederation was observed as a civic holiday on April 5, 1872 to celebrate the recovery of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) from a serious illness.

Starting in 1879 Thanksgiving Day was observed every year, but the date was proclaimed annually and changed year to year. The theme of the Thanksgiving holiday also changed each year to reflect an important event to be thankful for. In its early years it was for an abundant harvest and occasionally for a special anniversary.

After World War I, both Armistice Day and Thanksgiving were celebrated on the Monday of the week in which November 11 occurred. Ten years later, in 1931, the two days became separate holidays, and Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day.

On January 31, 1957, the Canadian Parliament proclaimed:

“ A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed … to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October.

[dwcrawford]

I knew none of this.  Thanks for doing the research.  And her I was last night hassling Del and Bear about what kind of Stuffing they eat with the turkey.  Oh well, small minds have a place somewhere too.

[kristina]

Thank you petey for the information, I did not know either.
Those explorers travelled into the unknown without any fears
and I always wonder how they did it!
They must have been very special people.
Thanks for finding this information for us and
happy Thanksgiving to all Canadians!

[willowtreewren]

Hear, hear! 

[del]

Thanks!! I am cooking a turkey supper with all the trimmings tomorrow evening!!  Yes dw you are invited!!  I will even make extra dresing (stuffing) for you!!!  Thanks for the research Petey!!  I didn't know a lot of those things.

[dwcrawford]

oh del, I hope you all have a great dinner.  I can hardly wait for November and an American Turkey...  and stuffing.  ( I do know the difference.  Dressing is cooked seperately and stuffing is stuffed and cooked in t he bird.  Either way, I want some Canadian and some American.  Do you get sweet potatoes too?  I don't think dialysis people can have sweet potatoes anyway, but this one will come November.

[del]

We just cook regular potatoes dw.  I just went out and got some from my own garden!!!  Sweet potatoes are not big around here although I buy them all the time.  I'm the only one in the house that eats them though!!    I have to go put the turkey in the oven now!!  YUM!!!  And I am having dressing with my turkey!!!!

[dwcrawford]

I wanna go to Canada today...  Is it too far to drive?

[monrein]

I really like that Canadian Thanksgiving is not too close to Christmas.  I have so much to be thankful for this year. 

My favorite stuffing is made separate from the turkey and contains prosciutto, toasted almonds, whole wheat french stick chunks, pears and fennel. 

This year however I made a barbequed butterflied leg of lamb instead of turkey and we had it last night at the cottage.

[The Wife]

We're just getting ready to go over to my daughter's for our Thanksgiving dinner.  Like you Monrein, we have a lot to be thankful for also. 

Your stuffing sounds delicious.  Are you willing to share the recipe? 



If the drive to Canada is too far for you Dan, just drive fast.  You might make it in time for dinner. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all the Canadians here.   

[kimcanada]

Thanks for the well wishes and education! Turkey was delious and wonderful friends and family visiting..

[monrein]

Pear, Prosciutto and Nut Stuffing


http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/pear_prosciutto_hazelnut_stuffing.html

Here's a link to the recipe.  I prefer using almonds to hazelnuts and I sometimes make unsalted chicken broth.  I like it with multigrain baguette cubes best but of course white baguette is the way to go for a renal diet.

[mk]

Thank you for the Canadian Thanksgiving wishes. I'm cooking turkey dinner for 10 tomorrow. mmmmmm stuffed turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes and apples, snap peas and lovely niagara and sonoma pinot noir. Hungry yet? and pumpkin pies for dessert. And this year I get to eat everything post transplant. After seeing Monrein's dressing which looks delicious and I think I will also make along with my traditional grandmother's recipe for 'dry' dressing in the turkey - very simple..... stale bread cubes, onions, sage, savoury, apples, parsley, pepper, little butter and little white wine.
I have so much to be grateful for this year......better health, my husband-my hero-my donor, great support from my transplant dr and cordinator at TGH, my wonderful daughters. I wish you all the same. 

[MIbarra]

Thank you Petey for your information... When I saw on facebook everyone was sending Thanksgiving greetings, this clears things up.

Also thank you Petey for your OTHER POSTS and your OPINIONS! I felt they were well spoken and needed. 

[kitkatz]

Members please stay on topic.

kitkatz-Moderator

[Romona]

Happy Thanksgiving Canada. The recipes sound so good. My mouth is watering.