Everything You Need to Know About Thanksgiving + Quiz
Thanksgiving is an excellent time to spend with your family and loved ones, re-connecting and appreciating what you have in life. The holiday has both religious and non-religious roots, and it’s celebrated in the United States and Canada. In Canada, Thanksgiving Day also doubles as Family Day, which gives people an extra day off to enjoy with their friends and family. So, when exactly is Thanksgiving? And how does it differ in the United States and Canada?
A brief history of Thanksgiving in The United States
Thanksgiving is an annual holiday, traditionally celebrated on the last Thursday of November. Thanksgiving was first celebrated by the Pilgrims who had just landed at Plymouth Rock in 1621 following a long journey from England. In an effort to give thanks for their safe landing, they held a feast with Native Americans on the third Thursday of November that year. This celebration became known as The First Thanksgiving and featured a meal of turkey, cranberries, waterfowl, fish, squash, pumpkin pie and cornbread. The new tradition continued annually until 1789 when President George Washington declared it would take place on the last Thursday of November rather than the third or fourth as it had been before.
A brief history of Thanksgiving in Canada
In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October. The first Canadian Thanksgiving was in 1578 and started with an English explorer Martin Forbisher. He was on an expedition and attempted to travel through the Northwest Passage safely. This succeeded and was celebrated with a meal, which became the first Thanksgiving. With this adventure, people thanked God every day for the safety of the explorers during their journey through the New World. Over time, Canadian Thanksgiving evolved to express gratitude to God for an abundant Fall harvest. This made Thanksgiving a statutory holiday, meaning that all federally regulated employees are entitled to an unpaid day off.
Canandian Thanksgiving Traditions
Since, Thanksgiving is on a Monday and families and friends celebrate this holiday on Sunday. Thanksgiving meals differ by province. For example, in Newfoundland families enjoy a typical dinner called a Jigg's Dinner. Which is a boiled meat dish accompanied by a split-pea pudding. Across the country, Canadians typically finish the meal with a spicy pumpkin pie topped with cloves, ginger and cinnamon for dessert. Similar to Americans, Canadians enjoy football and sports on Thanksgiving, furthermore there are parades for families to enjoy.
The Sendsteps Thanksgiving quiz
Would you like to learn more about Thanksgiving or are you searching for a fun quiz to play with family or friends? Don't look further and download the template or sing up and create one yourself. The quiz has 10 questions here bellow you can see a preview of some questions.
1. Where is Thanksgiving celebrated?
A. United States and Great Britain B. United States C. Canada D. Great Britain E. United States, Canada and Great Britain F. United States and Canada
2. Which U.S. President issued a proclamation designating the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day?
A. Franklin D. Roosevelt B. William Howard Taft C. Teddy Roosevelt D. Herbert Hoover
3. When is Thanksgiving celebrated in Canada?
A. Second Monday of October B. Second Monday of November C. Third Thursday of October D. Third Thursday of October
Download our free template to get access to find more quizzes and gain more knowledge!
Roksanna van Dam
Roksanna works as an intern and mainly focuses on making content and the company's socials. Roksanna loves to teach herself and her audience new discoveries and has a creative mindset, which she combines with her work to create unique, fun, relevant blogs and templates.