According to some historians, the first celebration of Thanksgiving in North America occurred during the 1579 voyage of
Martin Frobisher from England, in search of the
Northwest Passage.
[2] His third voyage, to the
Frobisher Bayarea of
Baffin Island in the present
Canadian Territory of
Nunavut, set out with the intention of starting a small settlement. His fleet of fifteen ships was outfitted with men, materials, and provisions. However, the loss of one of his ships through contact with ice, along with many of the building materials, was to prevent him from doing so. The expedition was plagued by ice and freak storms, which at times scattered the fleet; on meeting again at their anchorage in Frobisher Bay, "...
Mayster Wolfall, a learned man, appointed by Her Majesty's Counsel to be their minister and preacher, made unto them a godly sermon, exhorting them especially to be thankful to God for their strange and miraculous deliverance in those so dangerous places ...". They celebrated
Holy Communion and, "The celebration of divine mystery was the first sign, scale, and confirmation of Christ's name, death and passion ever known in all these quarters."
[16] (The notion of Frobisher's service being first on the continent has come into dispute, as Spaniards conducted similar services in
Spanish North America during the mid-16th century, decades before Frobisher's arrival.
[17][18])
Years later,
French settlers, having crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorer
Samuel de Champlain, from 1604, also held feasts of thanks. They formed the
Order of Good Cheer and held feasts with their First Nations neighbours, at which food was shared.
[19]
After the
Seven Years' War ended in 1763, with
New France handed over to the British, the citizens of
Halifaxheld a special day of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving days were observed beginning in 1799 but did not occur every year.
[20]
During and after the
American Revolution, American refugees who
remained loyal to
Great Britain moved from the newly independent United States to Canada. They brought the customs and practices of the American Thanksgiving to Canada, such as the turkey, pumpkin, and squash.
[21]
Lower Canada and
Upper Canada observed Thanksgiving on different dates; for example, in 1816 both celebrated Thanksgiving for the termination of the
War of 1812 between France, the U.S. and Great Britain, with Lower Canada marking the day on May 21 and Upper Canada on June 18 (
Waterloo Day).
[20] In 1838, Lower Canada used Thanksgiving to celebrate the end of the
Lower Canada Rebellion.
[20] Following the rebellions, the two Canadas were merged into a united
Province of Canada, which observed Thanksgiving six times from 1850 to 1865.
[20] During this period, Thanksgiving was a solemn, mid-week celebration.
[22]
The first Thanksgiving Day after
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.
[23]
For many years before it was declared a national holiday in 1879, Thanksgiving was celebrated in either late October or early November. From 1879 onward, Thanksgiving Day has been observed every year, the date initially being a Thursday in November.
[24] After
World War I, an amendment to the Armistice Day Act established that
Armistice Day and Thanksgiving would, starting in 1921, both be celebrated on the Monday of the week in which November 11 occurred.
[23] Ten years later, in 1931, the two days became separate holidays, and Armistice Day was renamed
Remembrance Day. From 1931 to 1957, the date was set by proclamation, generally falling on the second Monday in October, except for 1935, when it was moved due to a general election.
[20][23] In 1957, Parliament fixed Thanksgiving as the second Monday in October.
[23] 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.
[20]
