Happy Thanksgiving to our Canucks!

Most Canadians I know look at Thanksgiving as a harvest festival related to the ones that are celebrated in Europe at about the same time. I don't think very many Canadians have any awareness that the American one isn't a harvest festival in the same way as we practice it.

Canada Day is a big deal around here - parade, party, fireworks etc etc.

My friend Brenda Lee and I usually take the opportunity to go say the Canadian oath of allegiance with people who have become Canadians earlier that day. I feel very grateful that the hamburgers came to Canada rather than to the U.S. or to somewhere in South America and like to have the opportunity to celebrate with other, more recent, immigrant families.

We're going over to my mom's place today. There will probably be at least 18 of us.
Hmmm... thanksgiving. I never really thought we borrowed anything but the name from our neighbours down south. I've always seen it as a kind of marker on the season. Harvest is over, the leaves have turned and the drudgery of winter is about to begin. A time to reflect..
While we're on the subject. Could someone explain the significance of the cornucopia. I remember having to colour pictures of them as a kid. They always seemed silly, useless - they can't stand up, and when they are full everything spills out. Did the pilgrims use them? Enquiring mind want to know..

As for Canada Day. Love it! I was in Ottawa one year, got a picture of the back of Cretien's head, woohoo!! I saw Mr. Dressup and other lucky people become Canucks. Other years, in Victoria or Kelowna, I've watched the fireworks over the water and celebrated the day with strangers and friends alike. It's a day that seems to bring out the best in people and strangely, the weather always seems to be perfect.

Kinda unseasonal . . . we just back from the beach--it was really crowded. Sunny, temperature in the 70s--not much like autumn.

Same here - while out walking the dog I wore a t-shirt and capris. Nice!

A few minutes ago, CBC reported that 67 record temperatures were set in eastern Canada yesterday. I guess it's general across the country, huh?

Brenda Lee is your friend! Does she still sing?

Well, in a way it is.

Both the Yankee and the Canajun T-giving fiestas are direct descendants of the "harvest home" festivals once celebrated in Europe and the British isles almost universally. That's what the 1621 feast at Plymoth Plantation was, a harvest festival. I doubt that the expresion "tanksgiving" was in general use except as pertains to gratitude for having got the crops in before the first big freeze. As the local indigenous inhabitants of the region had been quite helpful to the newcomers during the previous Winter and subsequent growing season, a few of their bigwigs were asked to join in. It was never expected that Massasoit, the head man, and a few others would bring their entire families, set up a camp and stay for three or four days, eating the Plgrims out of house and home.

Something similar probably took place in the early days in British Canada. In neither case was there any expectation that, eventually, these would become "bank holidays" as later-day folks might call them. There is also some question as to whether Abe Lincoln meant to establish an annual event or whether the declaration of a day of thanksgiving was meant as a one-shot affair, commemorating two specific military victories.

so...

Bethie has informed me that back-bacon is a myth propagated by American hog farmers.

what do y'all eat for thanksgiving?

or do you just move our celebration up a month, kick out the pilgrims and injuns, and go for it...?

I don't think it is related to the early Brit background of Canada.

Given that Thanksgiving gained importance here in the 1950's and that Diefenbaker (from the Prairies) was significantly involved, Thanksgiving here likely is based in the German Erntedankfest and similar Ukranian and Eastern European celebrations. I also recall hearing something about it being an acknowledgment of the time kids were taking off school in any case - to complete the autumn harvest.

Thanksgiving is Turkey Day here. A few people have ham, but it's considered a bit downmarket. Gotta be poultry poultry and more poultry.

sounds suspiciously like ours.

what are your side dishes...?

The sides are quite variable - depends on the region you're in and what your recent harvest has been.

There are a quite a few things that I hear/read about in U.S. Thanksgiving menus that you wouldn't see here traditionally, such as oyster dressing, anything with cornbread.

punkin pie?

cranberry sauce?

oyster dressing was dreamed up by some Easterner with a hangover.

Pumpkin pie is latecomer to the event.

Butter tarts and sugar pie are more traditional. Definitely nothing with pecans.

Cranberry sauce appeared sometime in the 1980's - again, not really traditional though there are good cranberry bogs in north-central Ontario.

the power of American marketing, no doubt...

I think this year, Ima have backbacon, just to be different.

and no pilgrims, just injuns...

green beans with canned fried onions and canned soup

the true triumph of American marketing

Late or no, the traditional Thxgiving meal is similar to Christmas dinner - Stuffed turkey, mashed potatoes, some kind of yams (candied or otherwise at Thx only), brussell sprouts and/and other veg, cranberry jelly, turkey gravey... and pumpkin pie. People vary it as they like, of course, but that's what's traditionally expected at Thxgiving.

My favourite stuffing includes sausage meat and pine nuts - sometimes chopped water chesnuts for the crunch. MIL made the dinner yesterday and served Stove Top! Inside the turkey, crazily enough. Okay, that's interesting And barely enough to go around. Everybody knows you have to make DOUBLE the stuffing!

Edit: And I remember eating all this well before the 80s, when I was a child, so don't know about ehBeth's dates. I was a kid in the 60s.

but, I do love my green bean casserole.

can't have it any more, the onion rings are gluten bombs.

you'll be having green jello salad before you know it...

Jello salads. Oh my.

I've seen those in some of the cookbooks from the 1940's and 50's I've collected. I think it was pretty damned exciting to get gelatine in a box. Much easier than boiling down dem bones dem bones.