The History of Thanksgiving

By: Vanessa Matias

Photo: Newsweek

Thanksgiving has been celebrated every year in Canada since 1578. It is a time to be thankful for what you have and to spend time with family and friends.

The first official Thanksgiving celebration in Canada was on November 6, 1879. However, Indigenous peoples have been celebrating even longer. Indigenous peoples had celebrations of thanks that included music, song, dance, gifting and feasting. When the Europeans arrived in Canada, they ate a meal of salt beef, biscuits, and mushy peas for Thanksgiving. They gave thanks for the harvest and for a safe journey to Canada. 

In the 1750s, Canadians started having turkey dinners for Thanksgiving because the birds are native to North America and they are big enough to feed a whole family. In the present day, Canadians have continued this tradition of having turkey as well as stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, various autumn vegetables, and pumpkin pie. There are, of course, some differences between provinces; for example, many families in Quebec have a tourtière (a meat pie) and butter tarts for dessert instead of the traditional turkey dinner.

In 1967, the government changed the date of Thanksgiving in Canada to have it on the second Monday in October instead of having it in November, like the Americans. They did this because Thanksgiving is tied to the fall harvest season, which arrives earlier than the United States due to the country's colder climate here in Canada. The government also wanted to still be able to have outdoor celebrations when the weather is not as cold.

You may be wondering: How is Canadian Thanksgiving different from American Thanksgiving? There are a few key differences other than the dates. Firstly, Canadian Thanksgiving is more of a family focused holiday, where American Thanksgiving involves the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and major football games. Another difference is that in Canada, there are no Black Friday sales that are associated with Thanksgiving. In the United States, however, the day after Black Friday marks the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season.   

The most important part about Thanksgiving is to be thankful for what you have. Maybe that is your family and friends, having a place to live, or an activity that you do. There are so many things to be thankful for. What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

The History Of Easter

By: Maria Ray

Photo of Maria Ray’s old guinea pig

Easter is a truly special time of year. It’s a time for sweet chocolate, colourful eggs, and fluffy rabbits. However, it also has a deep history that goes back hundreds of years.

For Christians, Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his crucifixion. He is said to have died on the cross on what is known as Easter Friday before resurrecting on Easter Sunday. This date is always celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. In 2025, this date falls on April 20th. Easter for Christians is the joyful end to the Lenten season of fasting and penitence.

The Easter Bunny originated in the ancient festival of Eostre, where the rabbit symbolized fertility and new life, likely due to the fact that rabbits are more common around spring, as it is the season where there is a lot of new life. Later on, German immigrants brought this symbol to North America. German settlers in the 1700s introduced the “Osterhase” or Easter Hare, an egg-laying rabbit who delivered colourful eggs to good children. This eventually became the Easter Bunny in North American culture, and children were given not only eggs but also chocolate and candy.

The Easter Bunny has been portrayed differently across the media, from E. Aster Bunnymund from Rise of the Guardians, voiced by Hugh Jackman, to E.B. from Hop, voiced by Toby Kebbell. The Easter Bunny has also been portrayed in many children's books, such as The Story of the Easter Bunny and How to Catch the Easter Bunny. The Easter bunny has also been a feature of many easter themed ads. 

Overall, Easter is a wonderful time of year, and it has been for centuries. Easter is certainly a great time to celebrate!

Queen Victoria

By: Vanessa Matias

Photo: Wikipedia

Queen Victoria was the second-longest-reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. She was born on May 24, 1819, in Kensington Palace, London, England. Before she was Queen Victoria, her name was Princess Alexandrina Victoria. Her parents were: Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She had two siblings: Princess Feodora of Leiningen, and Carl III, Prince of Leiningen.

Queen Victoria’s father died when she was only 5 months old, so she was brought up by her mother and nannies. Victoria had a very sheltered and controlled childhood. She had almost no friends, and she was very lonely. For her education, she was homeschooled by a tutor, and she had singing and drawing lessons. During her free time, she would play with her dolls, write stories, and play with her dog, Dash.

Victoria became queen on June 20, 1837, at the age of 18. She was woken up at 6 am and was told the news that her uncle, King William IV had died and she would become queen. Her coronation was on 28 June 1838. She recorded in her diary, “How proud I felt to be Queen of such a nation.” In her first year as queen, she was constantly underestimated because she was young, but she was determined to do a good job. “I shall do my utmost to fulfill my duty towards my country.”, she wrote in her diaries. One of the first things that she did as queen was to remove her bed from the room she shared with her mother. Queen Victoria enjoyed her new freedom as queen.

Queen Victoria was encouraged by her uncle Leopold to marry her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She thought that he was attractive, so they got married on February 10, 1840. Queen Victoria had a very public wedding, and there were many guests. On Queen Victoria’s wedding day, she wore a white wedding dress instead of royal robes. This style has followed many brides ever since, and she is credited with starting this tradition. Victoria and Albert decided to start a family, and they had 9 children.

Between 1864 and 1867, Queen Victoria played a key role in the development and formation of Canada. She was known for being the “Mother of Confederation”. She also chose Ottawa as the capital of Canada. We honour Queen Victoria for her work on Victoria Day, which is on May 

19 this year. Queen Victoria was an amazing queen, and she did so much for our country!

World Autism Awareness Day

Written by: Madison Craske

Image from: posAbilities

World Autism Awareness Day, not to be confused with Autism Awareness Month, was made official in 2007 and takes place on April 2nd. Its purpose is to help educate the world about developing a better tolerance and understanding towards the autistic community. Many people do not “believe” in Autism, or perhaps they believe that it is something rarely seen in society, which is one of the many reasons why Autism Awareness Day is incredibly important. 

Autism was first officially characterized over a century ago in the early 1910s as childhood schizophrenia; this was, of course, an incorrect interpretation of children with Autism. Then, in the early 20s to 40s, Grunya Sukhareva, Hans Asperger, and Leo Kanner began to consider and work on diagnosing two related conditions, Infantile Autism and Asperger syndrome. In the 1970's the two conditions were widely recognized as different; however, the damage was already done. Thousands of doctors believe the misinformation caused by the lack of diversified studies on the subject, such as Autism does not affect girls, proven incorrect by numerous studies, such as one by UCLA Health; that Autism is a condition that can be outgrown, also disproven by the amount of adults that are diagnosed with Autism later in life; or perhaps that your ability to have Autism is entirely dependent on the colour of your skin, proven false by every person of colour ever diagnosed with Autism.

One of the most challenging things for many people with autism is the initial diagnosis. Being diagnosed can cost thousands of dollars, causing people to go years, or even decades, with little knowledge of how their brain works and how they can be accommodated to support their needs. Not only is it expensive, but many people aren't even made aware that a diagnosis is an option, meaning that some people don't know that Autism exists. Actor Vincent D'Onofrio has said, “If back when I was going to school, there was such a thing, I definitely would've been considered on the Autism spectrum.” Throughout the interview quoted, he states that had there been the resources available to him, had there been more research on Autism, he could’ve been placed in a special needs class, or given a diagnosis that would have explained much of his behaviour to himself and his family, making his early life far easier to navigate. Getting diagnosed with Autism at a young age can make someone's life far easier and help them get access to resources throughout their schooling and later life.

Temple Grandin (born August 29, 1947) is an academic, inventor, and ethologist. She was not formally recognized as Autistic until her adult life, but as a child, she was thought to be brain-damaged. This has since been disproven. With her initial diagnosis of brain damage, she was recommended for institutionalization. Her mother was strongly opposed to this idea and sought further advice at Boston Children's Hospital, which was, at the time, the leading special needs research facility in the world. From there, she was able to receive speech therapy, personalized training, and schooling. This kind of treatment was only possible because she came from a very wealthy family. Not every person with Autism can afford this kind of specialized care, as it costs thousands upon thousands of dollars to be able to afford the kind of programs given to Temple Grandin. Of course, now there are IEPs given in school, and there is more accessible care in people's daily lives. This is not to say that Temple Grandin didn't have far more support than the average person. In her high school days, Temple was bullied by her peers and later expelled for throwing a book at a classmate who had ridiculed her. This is what started her career. In her early years, she created a “hug box,” essentially two pillows that compress an individual between them, giving the sensation of a hug without physical contact. 

She was then able to create a similar machine when she realized that many animals are sensitive to visual stimuli in their facilities, such as shadows, chains, or other animals, which can cause panic for livestock. Her first published study focused on the effects of environmental enrichment on pigs. Then, in 1993, she demonstrated that calm cattle during transport have higher weight gain, which is the primary goal when raising cattle. To help calm cattle in transit, Grandin created a double rail conveyor that would act as a blend of her “hug machine” and a regular path; it would give a stimulant-free walk to the destination, be it farm, ranch, or slaughterhouse. She single-handedly created one of the most effective large-scale farming tools to this day, majorly because of observations made because of her Autism. Not only has she been very open about her Autism, but she was one of the first people to speak openly about having Autism.

1 in 50 Canadians have Autism: this is 2.0% of the population; however, even with those numbers, there is still so much hostility towards people with autism or even mentions of the condition itself. In the last century, significant research and progress have been made in Autism Awareness; however, there is still work to be done. Studies need to be diversified, and more resources should be made available to Autistic people at an affordable cost. The misconceptions about Autism need to be largely fought by doctors and researchers, and the rest of the world needs to see the autistic community as people.

Viola Desmond

By: Vanessa Matias

Photo: Parks Canada

Viola Desmond was a courageous and determined Black businesswoman and civil rights activist born July 6, 1914, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She was brought up by her father, James Albert Davis, and her mother, Gwendolin Irene Davis. Viola Desmond had nine siblings: Wanda, Emily, Olive, Gordon, Constance, Eugenie, Helen, Alan, and John. 

After she graduated high school, Viola Desmond decided to start her own business, so in 1937 she opened Vi's Studio of Beauty Culture. A few years later, she established the Desmond School of Beauty Culture and she also started her own cosmetics line made especially for black men and women; she quickly found success. 

On November 8, 1946, while she was on a business trip to Sydney, Nova Scotia to sell her beauty products, Viola Desmond's car broke down in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. She had to wait a day for her car to be fixed, so to pass the time, she decided to watch a movie at the Roseland Theatre. Viola Desmond requested a ticket for the main floor but instead, the ticket seller gave her a ticket for the balcony which is reserved for non-White customers. When the theatre staff saw that she was sitting on the main floor, they told her that she had to move to the balcony. Thinking that a mistake had been made, Viola Desmond returned to the ticket seller and asked her to exchange the balcony ticket for one on the main floor. The ticket seller refused, saying, “I’m sorry, but I’m not permitted to sell downstairs tickets to you people.” Realizing that the ticket seller was referring to the colour of her skin, Viola Desmond decided to take a seat on the main floor anyway.

Later, Viola Desmond was confronted by the manager of the theatre who told her that she had to move to the balcony. When Viola Desmond declined to move from her seat, a police officer dragged her out of the theatre; she was arrested, jailed overnight, and fined.

Many years after her death, Viola Desmond’s story began to receive public attention, due to the efforts of her sister Wanda Robson, and later, on April 15th, 2010, Viola Desmond was granted a free pardon by the Nova Scotia Lieutenant-Governor Mayann Francis. For the first time in 2012, Canada Post issued a postage stamp of Viola Desmond. Soon after November 19, 2018, the $10 bill featuring Viola Desmond was released. 

Viola Desmond’s story has inspired many people to stand up for themselves and others. She once said, “Do your little bit of good where you are, it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” So, let's all work together to do good little bits at a time to create a more inclusive world.

The History Of Valentine’s Day

By: Maria Ray

Valentine’s Day is a very special day of the year. It is a day to not only celebrate love but to celebrate family and friends. Valentine's Day also has a rich history and is celebrated across the world.

Valentine's Day, also known as Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on the 14th of February. Valentine's Day started as a Christian feast day honouring a martyr named Valentine. However, a few other Valentines are honoured on this day. In 18th century England, Valentine’s Day became an occasion for couples to express their love for each other with gifts. Valentine’s Day has become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.

What you may not know is that Valentine’s Day is also celebrated by many parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church on July 6th in honour of Roman presbyter Saint Valentine and on July 30th as well in honour of hieromartyr Valentine, the bishop of Interamna. Interamna is now known as Terni, a place in central Italy. Valentine’s Day is widely known and celebrated on February 14th because Emperor Claudius II executed two men, both named Valentine, on this date in different years in the third century.

Pope Gelasius I established the Feast of Saint Valentine on February 14th, 496 AD, in honor of the Christian martyr, Saint Valentine of Rome, who died on that date in 269 AD. In the Middle Ages, it was also believed that February 14th was the start of birds’ mating season. The Feast of Saint Valentine has evolved to what it is today. According to legend, "to remind these men of their vows and God's love, Saint Valentine is said to have cut hearts from parchment," giving them to soldiers and persecuted Christians. This may have been the legend that led to what Valentine’s Day is known for today.

Despite its slightly dark past, Valentine’s Day is still a great day to celebrate, eat chocolates and candy, and most importantly, show appreciation for family, friends, and loved ones. It is certainly one of the most special days of the year. 

The Story of Saint Lucy

By: Vanessa Matias

Photo: Casa Mia Tours

“Those whose hearts are pure are temples of the Holy Spirit.” — St. Lucy (also known as Saint Lucia of Syracuse). St. Lucy was a martyr and virgin born in 283, in Syracuse, Italy. Her mother’s name was Eutychia, but there is not much known about her father because he died when Lucy was 5 years old. 

During the year 301, Lucy and her mother went on a journey to Catania, Italy, to visit the tomb of St. Agatha. Eutychia had been suffering from a bleeding disorder and none of the treatments seemed to be working, so they went to the tomb in hopes of a cure. While they were at the tomb, Lucy had a dream where St. Agatha appeared and said that because of her faith, her mother was healed. She also said that Lucy would become the saint of Syracuse. After her dream, Lucy referred it to her mother and told her that she wanted to dedicate her life to Christ and to the poor. At that time, Christianity was considered a crime, so it was very dangerous for Lucy to be Christian. She told Eutychia that she did not want to get married anymore, and she asked to sell the house that she was going to live in when she got married, so that she could donate the money to the poor. When Lucy’s fiancé found out that she was not going to get married to him anymore because she was dedicating her life to Christ, he got angry and decided to tell Pascasius, the governor of Syracuse, that Lucy was a Christian. 

The soldiers brought Lucy to the governor. Then, Pascasius told Lucy that if she burnt an offering to the Roman Gods, she would be free. Lucy refused because she was faithful to God and did not turn her back on him. At that point, Pascasius was very angry, so he ordered his guards to tie Lucy to a wooden stake and burn her. When they tried to burn her, it did not work because of her faith in God, so then Pascasius ordered the guards to tear her eyes out and strike her with a sword. She died that day on December 13, 304 and is the patron saint of sight and the blind.

St. Lucy’s feast day is on December 13. It is mainly celebrated in Sweden, Norway, and Finland. Families celebrate St. Lucy’s Feast Day by having their eldest daughter dress up as St. Lucy. They do so by wearing a white dress and a crown of candles. Then, they go to church and participate in a St. Lucy possession. During this possession, one of the girls dressed up as St. Lucy will lead in singing a song. Saint Lucy's day celebrates the life and death of St. Lucy, who was a Christian martyr who brought Christianity to the Nordic countries.