In 1578 English explorer Martin Frobischer, who had unsuccessfully been trying to find a northern passage to the orient, settled in Newfoundland and held a formal ceremony to give thanks for surviving his long wandering journey. This is considered the first Canadian Thanksgiving. He was later knighted and commemorated with the naming of Frobisher Bay.

At the same time, Frenchman Samuel de Champlain commemorated his world travels with a huge feast of thanks. In a show of generosity that has come to be seen as truly Canadian, Champlain formed “The Order of Good Cheer” to share his harvest with those less fortunate. Canadians today are still known for this generosity around the world with organizations like Christian Children’s Fund of Canada, an international children’s charity, helping Canadians share food and seeds to those in need. (www.ccfcanada.ca)

In 1879, Parliament declared Thanksgiving a national holiday with the third Monday in October being settled on as a holiday in 1957. We often wonder why our Thanksgiving falls ahead of the US’s. The answer is simple: as we give thanks for a successful harvest, our cooler climate means our harvest season falls earlier than our Southern neighbors.

- News Canada

Thanksgiving/Harvest Festivals around the World

Make Thanksgiving meaningful again.

Do you think Thanksgiving is just a North American tradition? After all, how many countries can celebrate the harvest of the pilgrims? The fact is that giving thanks for a successful harvest is a tradition celebrated around the world.

“Giving thanks for a successful harvest is something that is shared around the globe,” said Bruce Herzog, CEO Christian Children’s Fund of Canada, an international children’s charity. “Canadians celebrate and have so much, but think about what the celebration would be like in a country that might only have a successful harvest once every 10 years.”

Here are some interesting harvest celebrations from around the world:

In Ghana (Western Africa) tribes celebrate the Yam Festival with song and dance. Yams are the first crop harvested and offered to the gods before they are distributed to the rest of the village.

Other African tribes celebrate the Homowo Festival – which means “hooting at hunger” with parades to mark the ongoing fight against famine.

In India, the primary crop harvested is rice. The Holi celebration is held by lighting bonfires to banish the cold when the moon is full and is more of a religious holiday.

In South America, native cultures have given thanks for hundreds of years through song, dance, and offerings.

Sri Lankans celebrate Pongal as the first rice festival, and mark the occasion in front of their houses with flour paste, hoping ants will eat it and bless the house.

More information about these countries and others can be found online at www.ccfcanada.ca.

- News Canada

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