What are the origins of Canadian Thanksgiving?!

Written by Billie Levey, 09/30/2025.

Long before Canadian Thanksgiving became an official holiday, people were expressing their gratitude in many different ways. The first ever recorded Thanksgiving in Canada was in 1578, when an English explorer named Martin Frobisher held a very small ceremony in what is now known as Newfoundland. He and his small crew had just survived a very dangerous expedition from England through icy Arctic waters, and they wanted to give thanks for their safe arrival. In those days, it didn’t have much to do with a harvest, it was just about simply surviving the hardships of life. 

Some years later, French settlers began arriving in Canada. Some people like Samuel De Champlain and other settlers in Quebec started to celebrate harvest festivals, thanking god for a great season of crops. Their celebrations were often seen as religious, focused on the blessings of the harvest and the land that now provided them with sustenance. Over time, these communal feasts grew into joyful celebrations with friends and families coming together and sharing food, gratitude and stories.

By the 19th century, Thanksgiving became a much more formal holiday. In 1879, the Canadian government declared it a national holiday, though the date wasn’t really set. After WWI, the need for a specific date became even clearer. Finally, in 1931, Thanksgiving was officially recognized as a national holiday. Finally, in 1957, the date was set as the second Monday in October.

Now, Canadian Thanksgiving carries the spirit of explorer gratitude, French religious celebrations and English harvest festivals, all coming together in a day to represent food, community and gratitude!