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CURRENTLY IN CULTURE
Thanksgiving in Canada

Audrey Carli

Canada first celebrated a “thanksgiving day” at Port Royal, Nova Scotia in 1710 because the town and fort had just passed into England’s possession for the last time.

In 1760, “thanksgiving” was celebrated at Halifax because of the victory of General Jeffrey Amherst’s troops over the French at Montreal.

The early “thanksgiving days” usually marked military victories or the birth of royalty. However, the Scottish settlers in Nova Scotia initiated the first “religious” Thanksgiving Day in Canada to give thanks for their harvest in 1762.

Over one hundred years later, a national Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed in Canada in 1879. After World War I the holiday was celebrated on Armistice Day, but in 1932 it was moved to the second Monday in October.

For Christians, celebrating Thanksgiving is setting aside a time to give thanks for blessings. The practice reflects the harvest festivals of the Old Testament, when the crops were gathered and eaten in ceremonies while giving thanks to the Lord.

No matter when Thanksgiving has been celebrated in the past or present, personal thanks for individual blessings can be prayed anytime and anywhere.

Audrey Carli is a freelance writer from Iron River, Mich.

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Last modified November 5, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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