Columbus Day & Canadian Thanksgiving
Is there anything better than a long weekend? How about a long weekend that includes parades and pumpkin pie! No matter which side of the 49th parallel you live on, you're gonna get a super-sized weekend two weeks into October - it's both Columbus Day and Canadian Thanksgiving!
Canadian Thanksgiving
The very first Thanksgiving celebration in North America took place in Canada when Martin Frobisher, an explorer from England, arrived in Newfoundland in 1578. He wanted to give thanks for his safe arrival in the New World. This means the first Thanksgiving in Canada was celebrated 43 years before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts! Thanksgiving for Canadians is about giving thanks for the harvest season rather than the arrival of pilgrims. Both Canadians and Americans celebrate Thanksgiving with parades, family gatherings, pumpkin pie and a whole lot of turkey!
Columbus Day
Columbus Day is a holiday in honor of the explorer who first came to the New World on October 12, 1492 - Christopher Columbus. Since 1920, Columbus Day has been an annual holiday. Columbus wasn't really the first person to see America so some peeps call the holiday Native American Day or Indigenous Peoples Day since Native Americans lived in North America long before Columbus came along. Columbus Day is a day to kick back and watch a parade or just chill out and enjoy a well-deserved day off.
