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Conference kaosws::canada

Title:True North Strong & Free
Notice:Introduction in Note 535, For Sale/Wanted in 524
Moderator:POLAR::RICHARDSON
Created:Fri Jun 19 1987
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1040
Total number of notes:13668

517.0. "Thanksgiving in Canada" by NETCUR::REID () Mon Oct 14 1991 15:28

    
    What is the origin of the Canadian holiday of Thanksgiving?  As an 
    American, I know our Thanksgiving holiday commemorates the Pilgrim's
    feast of thanksgiving they had after completing their first year in 
    the New World.  Is your holiday for a similiar event?  Just curious,
    
    thanks, Marc
    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
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517.1Not a modern (comparatively) thingKAOFS::S_BROOKMon Oct 14 1991 16:417
    Based on the religious festival of the harvest feast and as such
    dates much further back.
    
    Of course if we celebrated thanksgiving as late as you, we'd have
    frozen turkey for dinner (in a manner of speaking)!
    
    Stuart
517.2...???...OTOOA::ANDERSONTrue BritMon Oct 14 1991 16:455
    In England they have Harvest Thanksgiving, which speaks for itself.
    The Canadain holiday might be related to this.
    
    GNA
    
517.3And German settlers called it "Erntedanktag"COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertMon Oct 14 1991 17:206
The U.S. holiday is the same thing; the business with the Pilgrims is
just a bit of Massachusetts politicking.  The original English settlers
in Virginia also celebrated a Harvest Thanksgiving well before the Pilgrims
arrived, but the Pilgrims had a better public relations department.

/john
517.4POLAR::RICHARDSONSick in a balanced sort of wayTue Oct 15 1991 11:434
    Wasn't thanksgiving day instituted as a holiday in the U.S during the
    civil war? I believe Abraham Lincoln made this declaration.
    
    Every soldier got a hot turkey dinner on the last Thursday of November.
517.5SIOG::EGRITue Oct 15 1991 12:417
    I never could understand why they were called the "pilgrim" fathers.
    By definition, a pilgrim is a person who travels to a sacred place as an
    act of religious devotion. Weren't the American "pilgrims" running from
    religious persecution in England to seek refuge in America. So they
    should be called the "refugee" fathers. Eh?
    
    Ted.
517.6frames of referenceKAOFS::S_BROOKTue Oct 15 1991 15:392
    Look at it from their perspective ... it was a pilgrimage away from
    persecution ...
517.7R2ME2::HINXMANThere has to be a better wayTue Oct 15 1991 18:277
	re .6

	There is some doubt about this. Some people claim that these people
	left England because they were not being allowed to persecute other
	people.

	Tony
517.8SIOG::EGRIWed Oct 16 1991 10:307
    Re: -1
    
    You're right. I got the story the wrong way around.
    
    Thanks.
    
    Ted
517.9Weren't after religious freedomGEMVAX::HILLWed Oct 16 1991 11:407
    One thing that often seems to get overlooked is that these people lived
    in Holland for 10 years before setting sail to the New World. In
    Holland there was as much, if not more religious freedom than anywhere
    in Europe at that time. If all they wanted was to worship in peace they
    would have stayed in Holland.
    
    Tom