How American Thanksgiving is different than Canadian Thanksgiving

By Maria Mercedes Galuppo, Buzz60

When you're sitting at the table enjoying a delicious Thanksgiving meal, just remember: the Canadians did it first!

English explorer Martin Frobisher arrived on Canadian soil in 1578, safe and sound after a dangerous trip from Europe. Naturally, a celebration was held by him and his crew to give thanks for their safe return.

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According to Mental Floss, America's first Thanksgiving took place 43 years later in 1621.

To this day, Canadians still celebrate this holiday earlier than Americans, on the second Monday of October. This means that, although they are afforded a three-day weekend, they are given no time to recover the day after the Thanksgiving feast.

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Unlike in the United States, several provinces in Canada consider Thanksgiving an optional holiday, meaning people can choose to work that day and can even get paid overtime.

Americans enjoy a full day of Black Friday shopping right after finishing their turkey, but in Canada there isn't a big shopping day after Thanksgiving. The big shopping day in Canada is called Boxing Day and takes place just after Christmas.

Though there are a ton of differences, America and Canada are on the same page when it comes to eating, as the countries more or less enjoy the same foods when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner.

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