Day 352 - Thanksgiving Dinner

Today Jaco experienced his first Thanksgiving dinner. Boy, did I ever get put to the test. He was asking me what Thanksgiving was all about... It's about giving thanks, right? But why? Where did it come from? Why is the Canadian Thanksgiving 6 weeks earlier than the Americans? Who do you give thanks to? So many questions & no connection to Wikipedia while I'm driving! And one more tuffy, why are Canadian barns red?


Here's what he found out:

Canadian Thanksgiving, held on the second Monday of October, has origins dating back to a 1578 homecoming feast for explorer Martin Frobisher when he returned to Newfoundland after his search for the Northwest Passage. However, like Native Americans to the South, Canada's First Nations people celebrated harvest festivals long before Europeans came to North America.

The purpose and frequency of Canadian Thanksgiving has fluctuated over the years, but the current commemoration date was set in 1931. After WWI, Armistice Day and Thanksgiving had both been celebrated on the Monday falling during the week of November 11. In the 1931 the holidays split and Armistice Day became Remembrance Day. The holiday is statutory for all provinces except Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

For Americans our version of the holiday seems quirky, fitting in the same category as pronouncing the letter "Z" as zed, calling soft drinks "pop" and paper money in multiple colours.

In the U.S., Thanksgiving originated in 1621 as a three-day harvest feast celebrated by the Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony and incorporated prayers to survive the winter ahead. During the American Civil War, president Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday to be celebrated on the final Thursday of November. Today the holiday is held on the fourth Thursday of November.

The American holiday is now focused on family reunions, NFL football games and, of course, turkey. Over the years, Canada's holiday has come to mimic U.S. celebrations - with family and food taking centre stage.

You can find the original article here on Yahoo! Canada (not Wikipedia!) 

We had our Thanksgiving dinner at Ken's place with all of his children & their children. It was a nice gathering & the meal was fabulous! I have always enjoyed Mom's cooking & over the years, there are several dishes that I have coined as my favourites. The broccoli dish, the pistachio dish & the pumpkin dessert. Hardly healthy, but definitely delicious. We enjoyed stuffing, turkey, cranberry sauce made from scratch (never from a can!), mashed potatoes & gravy, mango salad, & sweet potatoes & carrots in the slow cooker - the same recipe we used for the wedding. 

If you're really hungry, send me a message & I will give you the coveted recipes... If you ask nicely!

We took the dogs & they were a hit until Oceana got grumpy with Ken's daughter-in-law & Valentina stole the sausage from Lola, Allison's Chihuahua. I came straight home & watched Cesar! We've got some work to do!

I also got a speeding ticket. From Ken's grandson, who is about 6. It read:

"NOSEE

IIIIIIIIIIIIIOOO

NO-SPEEDIN

CG

DVD

STOP"

How cute is that? Thank goodness there were no demerits involved & that he didn't ask for Jaco's driver's license!

Sleep well... I know I will with all that turkey in my tummy! Happy Thanksgiving! 

xxxxMJV&O

ps - I'm thankful for:

My wonderful husband, my family, my friends, my Doctors, socialized medicine (!), the people who have supported me throughout this health journey, Valentina, Oceana, and a last kick at summer! (There's a lot more, but that's a good start for tonight!)