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Canada Thanksgiving vs US Thanksgiving

So I want to know what is the difference. What is Canadian Thanksgiving all about?

As a kid in the US it's all about pilgrim's wearing a black trash bag and a construction paper pilgrim hat and making nice with the kids that got to dress up as Indians with construction paper head bands with feathers and macaroni accessories.

Now it's more of a stuff your face, and watch football kind of holiday. With a reason to hang with family. 

What's the back story to your holiday? What are your Thanksgiving traditions is it still a turkey day?

Lastly a question for everyone. What are your Thanksgiving traditions?

 

Re: Canada Thanksgiving vs US Thanksgiving

  • No traditions other than turkey. We've done something different every year I think. My grandfather does make some french meat stuff called 'faud' (not sure how to spell that). It's essentially ground beef, potatoes and onions in a pan. Pretty good.
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  • Growing up we ate a ton of food (mix of traditional Turkey Day foods and Chinese food) and then watched the Lions game.  One year we actually went to the Lions game...I would have loved for that to be our tradition every year.

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  • Our only tradition is to make something different each year--it's been enchiladas, lasagna, a white sauce for a pasta dish, etc. I confess that the only thing I really like from a traditional dinner is pumpkin pie. Stick out tongue

  • I don't think there's much of a story. I think it's just a harvest celebration day.

    Speaking of pilgrims in hats: http://www.cracked.com/article_18627_6-things-from-history-everyone-pictures-incorrectly_p2.html

    By the way, curious about your use of the word "Indian" to describe the aboriginal people. In Canada, it's considered un-PC (because "Indian" really means "from India" which was the Columbus' misconception). Is that still the standard terminology in the US? Not flaming, just curious.

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  • imagering_pop:

    I don't think there's much of a story. I think it's just a harvest celebration day.

    Speaking of pilgrims in hats: http://www.cracked.com/article_18627_6-things-from-history-everyone-pictures-incorrectly_p2.html

    By the way, curious about your use of the word "Indian" to describe the aboriginal people. In Canada, it's considered un-PC (because "Indian" really means "from India" which was the Columbus' misconception). Is that still the standard terminology in the US? Not flaming, just curious.

    Native American or American Indian are the two favored terms; gov't programs/funding will further break things out between contiguous US and Alaska and Hawaii (Native Hawaiian and Alaskan Native). But yeah, Indian is generally considered un-PC.

  • Ringy - Growing up in AK, they use American Indian when discussing Thanksigivng. They use "native" to refer to Alaskan natives.

    As far as traditions, when we were growing up my dad was military and would invite all his direct reports that didn't have family in the area to spend Thanksgiving with us. This then transitioned into all of us kids inviting friends that didn't have family as we got older.

    The years Aaron and I aren't around family for Thanksgiving, we get restaurant reservations.

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  • imagering_pop:

    I don't think there's much of a story. I think it's just a harvest celebration day.

    Speaking of pilgrims in hats: http://www.cracked.com/article_18627_6-things-from-history-everyone-pictures-incorrectly_p2.html

    By the way, curious about your use of the word "Indian" to describe the aboriginal people. In Canada, it's considered un-PC (because "Indian" really means "from India" which was the Columbus' misconception). Is that still the standard terminology in the US? Not flaming, just curious.

    I wondered about this too. 

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  • As ringy said, Canadian thanksgiving is more of a celebration of harvest, instead of having the story that the US one does.  

    At least where I grew up, it was not a big holiday for us.  People very rarely would travel home to spend Thanksgiving with family (Christmas is the big holiday for that).  It's held on a Monday, and in Newfoundland at least, a lot of people would actually do the big dinner with Turkey on Sunday, since that is traditionally when most Newfs cook a roast dinner anyways (every week). 

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  • Good question. Our tradition has always been watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on tv and eating the big traditional Thanksgiving dinner together: turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, macaroni, green bean casserole, etc...

    Ringy, as for Eva's use of the word "Indians," that is how we hear the Thanksgiving story as children. The pilgrims and the Indians...I don't think that's the way most Americans use the term normally. It's usually Native Americans. As adults, we realize that the way we hear the story as kids is not the way it really happened and truly was all very non-PC.

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  • imageSoon2BMrsSikes:

    Ringy, as for Eva's use of the word "Indians," that is how we hear the Thanksgiving story as children. The pilgrims and the Indians...I don't think that's the way most Americans use the term normally. It's usually Native Americans. As adults, we realize that the way we hear the story as kids is not the way it really happened and truly was all very non-PC.

    I agree with this. 

    My traditions have definitely varied over the years. Growing up we celebrated at my aunt's house. After my parents got divorced, Thanksgiving was my dad's holiday and we ordered Thanksgiving dinner from the grocery store (it was surprisingly good). When DH and I started dating we celebrated with his family. I guess the only tradition for me that has lasted through all of the different versions of Thanksgiving is the food and a ton of it. No matter where I've celebrated we've always traditional Thanksgiving food and football. 

  • imagering_pop:

    I don't think there's much of a story. I think it's just a harvest celebration day.

    Speaking of pilgrims in hats: http://www.cracked.com/article_18627_6-things-from-history-everyone-pictures-incorrectly_p2.html

    By the way, curious about your use of the word "Indian" to describe the aboriginal people. In Canada, it's considered un-PC (because "Indian" really means "from India" which was the Columbus' misconception). Is that still the standard terminology in the US? Not flaming, just curious.

     It was more on a reflection of what you are told as a kid. I didn't mean it to come off negatively. Pilgrims=puritans, Indians= Native Americans. I was thinking more on how my blond headed self had to wear a trash bag in my 1st grade play and my friend Danielle got to wear the cooler stuff. I was very sad that I couldn't have the feathers. (I was a very flashy, glitter filled kid) That Cracked article is totally right on American kid pilgrim thing.

     It's not until you get older in American Schools does we learn who and what Thanksgiving is really all about.

  • Our only Thanksgiving tradition has started over the last 6 years that DH and I have done Thanksgiving together with his family.  After dinner, DH, BIL, FSIL, and I and occasionally MIL and FIL play Monopoly.  It takes forever, and at some point BIL ends up getting mad at DH and gives up, but it is really fun overall!
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  • I have a few traditions.

     - watch the Macy's parade

     - make my Grandmother's cranberry salad.  Other sides are flexible, but this is a deal-breaker

     - put up the Christmas tree the Saturday after.

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  • I seem to remember researching Canadian thanksgiving while I was in Japan and learned: a) the first North American Thanksgiving was actually celebrated in Newfoundland; b) Canadian Thanksgiving (as a holiday) stemmed from a celebration of the good health of the King (it may have been George III - the totally crazy one); c) The whole pilgrims/first nations thing just seems so... I dunno... revisionist to me; d) we do the turkey/stuffing thing up at my cottage.
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