Like all the harvest festivals throughout history, the overt celebration of gratefulness of the Earth's bounteousness is through a fabulous feast! Gathering up with the family for a day of enjoyment and fellowship is easier in Canada than in many other countries. While the official Thanksgiving Day is on Monday, Canadians usually celebrate it during the entire three-day weekend.

After the main meal, it is traditional to kick back and relax while watching the featured "Thanksgiving Day Classic" football game. Not to be confused with the American version of football, the Canadian Football League offers a doubleheader schedule of games for the Thanksgiving Day celebration.

Besides the indoor activities or the family dinner, the weekend of Thanksgiving is traditionally the occasion for a last big outdoor extravaganza. Either participating or watching the numerous Thanksgiving Day parades that are such an entire part of the holiday will get one out of the house and into the end of the summer air. The Thanksgiving weekend is also traditional for taking that last outdoor getaway before winter sets in and is a perfect time for hiking, fishing or simply enjoying the outstanding autumn colors.

While the Thanksgiving Day celebration is a secular event, those with a religious mind have their own Thanksgiving traditions that they partake of in their churches. With the old European harvest festivals in mind, most churches are decorated with the traditional cornucopias, wheat sheaves, pumpkins, gourds and corn ears. There are particular scriptural texts and hymns that are emphasized at this time of the year to celebrate the harvest and their gratefulness to their God for providing for them.

Traditions of Thanksgiving in the United States

While Thanksgiving is celebrated yearly in the United States since 1863, it has been often bounced around and given different reasons for celebration. By the mid-20th century it had been firmly placed at the end of November and made a Federal Holiday.

Even though it is a secular holiday, since the beginning of the nation has a religious overtone. Though set aside as a day to thank God for the bounty of the Earth, this is not required.

Although not the first Thanksgiving event in the history of the United States, the "official" point of origin is taken from the Plymouth Colony of Massachusetts. Therefore the traditional decorations include Pilgrims, pumpkins, Indians and turkeys. In honor of the harvest, corn stalks, ears, cornucopias and gourds also find their way into Thanksgiving Day displays. Plays and pageants are often performed with this theme in both schools and religious institutions.

Alongside the omnipresent turkey are prepared additional Native American foods such as mashed and sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, corn, and cranberry sauce. It is still proper to offer a prayer at the beginning of the meal, whether to a God or general good fortune. Many organizations take this time to put together food drives for donating Thanksgiving meals to the poor and needy.

The Thanksgiving Day parades are the biggest and most popular of the year, rivaling and generally even beating out the Christmas parades.

American Football is also a part of the Thanksgiving celebration. Both major leagues hold special game events on Thanksgiving Day and several of the teams always play on this day. In schools, it is the end of the football season and the games played near the Thanksgiving Day holiday are traditionally scheduled as longstanding Rivalry Matches between schools.

Another of the great Thanksgiving traditions actually takes place on the day after. Called "Black Friday", it is the official beginning of the Christmas shopping season and retail stores often start it off with big sales and special shopping events.

Whether in Canada or in the United States, religious or secular, it is a great excuse to celebrate and appreciate the things we have!

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