Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in Canada
The Canadians can actually lay claim to having had the first Thanksgiving celebration in North America. Martin Frobisher, an English Navigator, held a formal ceremony in Newfoundland in 1578. He did this to give thanks for surviving the long sea journey. Other settlers continued the tradition after they arrived in Newfoundland. At the time of the American Revolution, Americans who remained loyal to the Government in England, moved to Canada and thus Thanksgiving celebrations spread throughout Canada.
In 1879, Parliament declared November 6th a national holiday of Thanksgiving. Over the years this date changed, and on January 31, 1957, Parliament declared the second Monday in October of each year to be "A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed".