Taking a look towards Thanksgiving 2008

"Thanksgiving . . . A Canadian statutory holiday observed on the second Monday in October. It is celebrated as a day of feasting and giving thanks for divine goodness."
- The Dictionary of Canadian English

In most Canadian households the countdown for Thanksgiving 2008 is already under way.
Celebrated this year on Oct. 13, it was enacted by Parliament as an official Canadian holiday on the second Monday in October.
This legislation was passed as recently as Jan. 31, 1957; however, the observance of Thanksgiving, both in Canada and elsewhere, has a much longer history.
For centuries it was traditional for people in various parts of Europe to mark autumn with a harvest festival. By tradition, the cornucopia or "horn of plenty" became a central part of these annual celebrations.
In the beginning it was a curved goat's horn filled with fruit, vegetables and grain. These items were selected to symbolize gratitude for harmony, peace and plenty. Today, the cornucopia remains as a symbol of autumn and thanksgiving.
It should also be noted that both the Mi'kmaq and Maliseet also had a long standing ceremony that focused on their appreciation for the bounty of the sea and forest.
It seems appropriate that the first recorded Thanksgiving in contemporary Canada took place, not on land, but at sea. For the details we have to reach back to the year 1578 and the expeditions to the eastern Arctic by the English explorer and adventurer Sir Martin Frobisher (c.1535-1594).
Overall, Frobisher made three voyages (in 1576, 1577 and 1578) to this area - all in search of the elusive North West Passage.
It was his final and particularly difficult voyage of 1578 that has a link with the history of Thanksgiving. During this expedition Frobisher and his crew battled seemingly never-ending storms, dangerous icebergs and often-impenetrable fog.
The explorer persevered and, when the storms were over, "a Thanksgiving was celebrated . . . for deliverance from the perils of the sea."
It is difficult to pinpoint the precise location of Frobisher's escape from stormy weather. In all probability, it was somewhere between the entrance to present-day Frobisher Bay, a long inlet in the southeastern corner of Baffin Island, and the tip of Labrador.
The bay, which was named in Frobisher's honour, is now part of the territory of Nunavut created in 1999. The latter translates in English - most appropriately for the Inuit people - as "our homeland."
The community of Frobisher Bay, now the capital of the Territory was renamed Iqulait. It means "a place of many fish."
Anyone who has lived in the United States, or is familiar with American media hype, may be surprised that this column did not begin with the Pilgrim Fathers who crossed the Atlantic in the famous ship the Mayflower.
According to the conventional American interpretation, it was they who reputedly celebrated the first North American Thanksgiving at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621.
Less well known is another American claim for the first celebration of thanksgiving. It has been suggested that the honour should go to members of the Berkeley Plantation who arrived on the banks of the James River in Virginia on Dec. 4. 1619.
In the words of their charter: "the Day of arrival at the assigned place for plantation in the land of Virginia shall yearly and perpetually be kept holy as a day of Thanksgiving to Almighty God.''
A further twist to the origin of Thanksgiving Day may be traced to the Anglican Book of Common Prayer dating from 1662.
It contains a "General Prayer of Thanksgiving" and begins with the well-known and time-worn words: "Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we thine unworthy servants do give thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving kindness to us and to all men . . .''
Clearly there was, and still is, a strong connection between the secular and religious origins of Thanksgiving.
The city of Plymouth, England, home port of the famous Mayflower, now has its own transatlantic Thanksgiving Festival. Held on the same dates as the American commemoration, this event provides a formal link with the holiday's European roots.
It may be providential that Canadians do not know the precise location of Frobisher's Thanksgiving service.
Considering the uncertain weather patterns of the eastern Arctic, a re-enactment would appear to be highly unlikely.
During the 18th century, two major groups of people migrated northward to today's Canada. These were the New England Planters who settled mainly in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Later, the non-supporters of the American Revolution - the United Empire Loyalists - followed in even larger numbers.
Both brought with them their customs and traditions, which included the observance of Thanksgiving.
More recently, during the early 20th century, there was a large migration of people from Atlantic Canada to the United States. Cross-border contacts such as these helped reinforce the similarity in Thanksgiving holiday traditions in both countries.
It was not until 1879 that the Canadian Parliament first declared Nov. 6 as a "National Day of Thanksgiving."
Over the next 75 years, both earlier and later dates were tried, until it was decided that early October fitted more appropriately with Canadian seasonal and climatic conditions.
Whether it is the second Monday in October or the fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving celebrations on both sides of the Canada-United States boundary are remarkably similar.
Central to the day is the Thanksgiving dinner. Every family has its own traditions and variations, but normally on the Tantramar there will be little straying from the traditional roast turkey with stuffing and gravy, mashed potatoes, a selection of vegetables with pumpkin pie for dessert.
Decorating the table or sideboard, there may well be a bowl of gourds in their distinctive and striking orange, green and yellow colours - all to remind us of a bountiful harvest.
Happy Thanksgiving to all Flashback readers!
Ideas for, or comments about Tantramar Flashback, may be addressed to Bill Hamilton in care of the Sackville Tribune Post, 80 Main Street, Sackville, N..B, E4L 4A7, or via e-mail at tribune@nbnet,nb.ca. A selection of previous Flashbacks may be found in recent online issues of this newspaper and at www.billhamiltonflashback.ca.