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The first Canadian Thanksgiving is thought to have occurred in 1578, when an explorer Martin Frobisher held a Thanksgiving celebration for surviving his journey from England.

Some believe that the first Thanksgiving celebrations in Canada can be traced to French settlers. These settlers who came to New France in the 1600s with explorer Samuel de Champlain, celebrated successful harvests with large feasts of thanks. They also shared their food with the native people.

Most of Canada considers Thanksgiving a statutory holiday.

The first Thanksgiving in the United States was held at Plymouth in 1621. This feast was prompted by a good harvest and celebrated by pilgrims and puritans.

It wasn't until the 1660s that the harvest feast became an annual affair.

Each year the President of the United States pardons a turkey. This lucky turkey is guaranteed to spend the rest of its life living freely and not ending up on a turkey platter.

When the pilgrims arrived on the Mayflower, the Wampanoag Indians taught them how to cultivate the land. These Indians were invited to the first Thanksgiving in 1621.

The first Thanksgiving in 1621 was celebrated for three days.

The first Thanksgiving feast was made up of lobster, chestnuts, onions, leeks, dried fruit, cabbage, carrots, chicken, rabbit, honey and maple syrup and other items.

There were no mashed potatoes, pumpkin pies, or even corn on the cob at the first Thanksgiving feast.

The writer of Mary Had a Little Lamb, Sarah Josepha Hale, is thought to be the person who persuaded Abraham Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a national holiday.

In 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November to be the national day for Thanksgiving.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade began in the 1920s and is still held today.

Approximately 280 million turkeys are consumed on Thanksgiving in the United States.

The Friday after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday in the United States and is the first official shopping day for Christmas.

Even if turkeys wanted to escape before Thanksgiving they couldn't fly. Commercially raised turkeys are not able to fly.

Other countries that celebrate Thanksgiving include: Germany - they celebrate the Harvest Thanksgiving Festival in early October; Grenada - they celebrate Thanksgiving Day on October 25th; Korea - they celebrate Korean Thanksgiving Day in late September or early October; Japan - they celebrate Labor Thanksgiving on November 23rd; Liberia - they celebrate Thanksgiving on the first Thursday of November; and Norfolk Island celebrates Thanksgiving on the last Wednesday of November.

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Thanksgiving Day is celebrated primarily in Canada and the United States. It's a day to give thanks for the blessings of the previous year as well as the harvest. Thanksgiving was traditionally a religious and cultural celebration, but today is celebrated by many people in Canada and the U.S.

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Beyond turkey: What different cultures eat for Thanksgiving dinner

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Beyond turkey: What different cultures eat for Thanksgiving dinner

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Thanksgiving dinner is conventionally associated with very specific foods. Turkey. Pumpkin pie. Stuffing.

But that's not where every family's tradition begins and ends.

The U.S. is a melting pot. It's all about different cultures coming together with family traditions that blend the best of the old world with customs of the new.

These suggestions from Thanksgiving tables around the country are inspiring proof. We polled Mashable staff to learn how their families celebrate. Kimchi, purple cabbage and arepas are just a few examples that bring a multicultural Thanksgiving table to life.

You might want to try them yourself this year. After all, the blending of American tradition and familial culture often starts with food.

Eastern Europe

The fried foods and pickled vegetables popular in Eastern Europe are tasty foils for the heavy, sometimes bland dishes commonly served at Thanksgiving.

Asia

The spicy, sweet and tangy flavors that cover the Asian continent are actually complementary and even familiar to your Thanksgiving spread.

Korean kimchi adds salt and gentle heat to traditional macaroni and cheese casserole (recipe below).

Make sourcing Thai ingredients and crafting traditional curry your new gravy tradition.

And the next day, leftover turkey fried rice makes short work of your leftovers.

The Middle East

Take a cue from the fragrant spice mixtures, rice and vegetables used in the Middle East to mix up your holiday table.

Persian basmati rice stuffing made with pomegranate paste, goat cheese and turkey stock is a welcome addition to cranberry sauce and gravy.

Skip the tired green salad or Jell-O mold in favor of a refreshing labneh salad with sumac and cherry tomatoes.

If your deep fryer can take it, end the meal with fluffy Egyptian zalabia, and your family will be all "pumpkin who?"

Italy

There are a plethora of Italian thanksgiving traditions, and most begin and end with Nonna.

Ditch the spiced nuts and start with an antipasto platter laden with salami, prosciutto, crostini, olives, cheeses, stuffed mushrooms and anything else that makes you feel like Sophia Loren.

Keep the turkey but ditch the bacon-laden vegetables in favor of super cheesy and vegetarian manicotti.

And no one will mind if you move the apple pie to the side and substitute some tiramisu.

South America

Head south of the equator to jazz up your Thanksgiving.

The porky, smoky black bean soup known as feijoada is described as Brazil's national dish and is a great starter to your feast.

Argentinian alfajores are buttery dulce de leche-filled cookies that are perfect with that post-meal cup of coffee.

And for a midnight snack, switch up the normal Thanksgiving sandwich for a warm Venezuelan arepa (round, griddled corn bread) stuffed with turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes and anything else you can stuff inside.

Looking for more delicious recipes? Check out our Food and Drinks board on Pinterest.

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Beyond turkey: What different cultures eat for Thanksgiving dinner

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Thanksgiving dinner is conventionally associated with very specific foods. Turkey. Pumpkin pie. Stuffing. But that's not where every family's tradition begins and ends. The U.S. is a melting pot. It's all about different cultures coming together with family traditions that blend the best of the old world with customs of the new.

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How Other Countries Celebrate Thanksgiving - Modern Farmer

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How Other Countries Celebrate Thanksgiving - Modern Farmer

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Canadians don't carry on about the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock come fall, but they do gather with their families for turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. They have their own origin story for the holiday, and they celebrate it in early October, before the country is frozen over for winter, naturally. After my wife enlightened me, I began to wonder: could other countries celebrate Thanksgiving, too?

Actually, quite a few do. They might not call it Thanksgiving, and they might not roast a turkey, but it turns out that Americans don't have a monopoly on the idea of gathering together to express their gratitude for the fall harvest.

Canada

Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October, the same day as Columbus Day in the United States. Americans are often shocked to learn that Canadians believe invented the holiday, and the Americans are the ones who copied it. Canadians trace the holiday back to 1578 - more than 40 years before the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock - when the English explorer Martin Frobisher organized a feast on a frigid fall day in Newfoundland to celebrate his crew's passage through the Northwest passage.

Grenada

The Thanksgiving celebration in this tiny Caribbean country is directly linked with the United States. While it's also called Thanksgiving, it's celebrated on October 25 th and has nothing to do with the autumn harvest. Rather, it celebrates the day in 1983 when American troops arrived to restore order during an attempted communist coup. Apparently, the troops introduced the Thanksgiving concept, suggesting that Grenadians celebrate the restoration of democracy with a grand feast, which eventually morphed into a national holiday.

Germany

In Europe, harvest festivals date back to pagan times. In modern Germany, however, the notion has found its way into religious culture: Erntedankfest (literally, harvest thanks festival ) is celebrated with a special church service and quiet a lot of singing. Traditionally, a harvest queen and harvest king are crowned by the community and paraded through town in a grand procession (Erntedankfest is most widely celebrated in rural areas). The festivities are typically held on the first Sunday of October, though local communities may choose to celebrate it at any time during the harvest season.

The Netherlands

Americans associate the Pilgrims with Great Britain, but many were actually Dutch. Some historians have argued that the original Thanksgiving may have been inspired by Drie Oktober, a holiday on the 3 rd of October that commemorates a military victory in the city of Leiden, where many Pilgrims lived before immigrating to England. To this day, a major Thanksgiving celebration takes place in a Leiden church that the Pilgrims frequented, in honor of these hardy, idealistic settlers. The event is modeled loosely on American Thanksgiving (it was on the fourth Thursday of November), but is mostly celebrated in public venues, rather than in private homes.

Liberia

National Thanksgiving Day, celebrated on the first Thursday of November in Liberia, also has an American connection. The country was founded in the 19 th century by freed American slaves who imported the tradition. Though only a small percentage of the population identifies as Americo-Liberian today, the holiday persists - though with tropical African flavor. In place of turkey and mashed potatoes are roast chicken and mashed cassava. It's always harvest season in the tropics, so in this case, Thanksgiving is viewed as a time celebrate the founding of the country.

Japan

In Asia, Thanksgiving celebrations have little to do with the United States. On November 23 rd each year, the Japanese observe Kinro Kansha no Hi - Labor Thanksgiving Day - which traces its roots back to ancient harvest rituals. The idea is to celebrate not just food, but the hard labor that goes into producing it. In 1948, the holiday was formalized by country's post-World War II government as celebration of labor rights more broadly, not just of those who produce food.

Korea

The Korean Thanksgiving equivalent, called Chuseok, which translates as "autumn eve," is celebrated for three days on or near the autumn equinox - whenever the harvest moon appears each year - a tradition that has been alive in the region for millennia. One of the major Korean holidays, it is a time of gathering with family and, as in America, feasting until you can feast no more. Traditional Chuseok foods include rice balls flavored with sesame seeds and pine needles and Korean "pancakes" (which are basically deep-fried meat and vegetables), all washed down with a bit of rice liquor.

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How Other Countries Celebrate Thanksgiving

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Canadians don't carry on about the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock come fall, but they do gather with their families for turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. They have their own origin story for the holiday, and they celebrate it in early October, before the country is frozen over for winter, naturally.

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Thanksgiving Around the World | Madison Burke - YouTube

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Thanksgiving Around the World | Madison Burke - YouTube

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Thanksgiving Around the World  | Madison Burke

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Uploaded by Madison Burke on 2015-11-24.

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5 Facts About THANKSGIVING Around The World | 5 FACTS - YouTube

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5 Facts About THANKSGIVING Around The World | 5 FACTS - YouTube

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5 Facts About THANKSGIVING Around The World | 5 FACTS

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Grab some turkey and stuffing because we've got 5 festive facts about Thanksgiving celebrations... AROUND THE WORLD! That's right, tons of other countries have harvest festivals dedicated to giving thanks for what we have, and some of them get pretty wild!

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Where Is Thanksgiving Celebrated Outside The US?

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Where Is Thanksgiving Celebrated Outside The US?

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Thanksgiving is often considered the most American of holidays, so how did it end up in the Caribbean, West Africa and on a remote Australian territory in the middle of the South Pacific? Scroll down for the answers and a look at four places outside of the U.S. where Thanksgiving is a public holiday. Canada
When is Thanksgiving? The second Monday in October

Thanksgiving Date in 2013: Oct. 14

The United States is not the only New World nation to celebrate Thanksgiving. Its neighbors to the north do too, albeit earlier and with a bit less hurrah. While Americans pay tribute to the pilgrims and Native Americans, Canadians give thanks for a successful harvest, a tradition dating back to European festivities honoring the bounty of the harvest and a pleasant winter to come. The first Canadian Thanksgiving is believed to have occurred in present-day Newfoundland in 1578, making it 43 years older than its American counterpart. Americans, however, passed down many traditions currently associated with Canadian Thanksgiving when those loyal to England moved to Canada during the American Revolution. And while both celebrations revolve around a familiar menu of foods, the recipes for items like pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes and stuffing differ. Moreover, while Thanksgiving is a public holiday across the United States, it remains optional in Canada's Atlantic provinces of Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Puerto Rico
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When is Thanksgiving? The fourth Thursday in November

Thanksgiving Date in 2013: Nov. 28

Puerto Ricans may not have any direct ties to the original festivities of Thanksgiving, but residents of this American territory have certainly embraced the holiday with open arms. Thanksgiving falls on the same day as in the U.S., leads into a Black Friday shopping frenzy and kicks off the Christmas season. You'll find the biggest difference between a Puerto Rican Thanksgiving and an American one in what lies on the dinner table. Puerto Ricans have a menu all to their own that includes tostones (fried plantains), turkey stuffed with mofongo (another plantain dish), slow-roasted pavochon (a 'Rican Thanksgiving classic), morcilla (blood sausage), roast pork and rice and beans. When the meal is over, Puerto Ricans trade pumpkin pie for tembleque, a cinnamon-coated coconut custard, and often knock it back with something a bit stronger than wine.
Liberia
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When is Thanksgiving? The first Thursday of November

Thanksgiving Date in 2013: Nov. 7

To understand how Thanksgiving arrived on the far side of the Atlantic, one must first understand the history of Liberia, the only country in Africa founded by United States colonization. Freed slaves established this rival lone star republic in the early 1820s with the help of the American Colonization Society (a private organization that believed former slaves would find greater opportunities in Africa) and brought with them several traditions from home, including Thanksgiving. Settlers replaced traditional foods like turkey and pumpkins, both scarce in this part of the world, with items like roast chicken and mashed cassavas, both of which are served much spicier than their counterparts at a typical American feast. Beyond the fine foods, many Liberians observe Thanksgiving with a trip to church and a healthy dose of music, song and dance.
Norfolk Island
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When is Thanksgiving? The last Wednesday of November

Thanksgiving Date in 2013: Nov. 27

Norfolk Island is a former British penal colony and current Australian territory that's populated by the descendants of the H.M.S. Bounty's mutineers and their Tahitian captives (made famous in the 1962 Marlon Brando film "Mutiny on the Bounty"). The island is perhaps best known these days for its biggest export: the Norfolk Island pine, an ornamental sapling that's vaguely reminiscent of a poorly spaced artificial Christmas tree. But the foliage is only part of Norfolk's unique charm, and if you're around in November, you can celebrate Thanksgiving by giving thanks to American trader Isaac Robinson, who settled on Norfolk as an agent for Burns Philp & Co Ltd. only to become Norfolk's Registrar of Lands and the island's first (and so far only) United States consol. Robinson proposed dressing up the All Saints Church in Kingston for an American-style Thanksgiving service in the mid-1890s to the delight of visiting American whalers, and parishioners still celebrate the public holiday today by singing American hymns and adorning the church with corn stalks, flowers and produce. Traditional fare consists of cold pork and chicken, pilhis, banana and, like any good American celebration, pumpkin pie.

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Where Is Thanksgiving Celebrated Outside The US?

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Thanksgiving is often considered the most American of holidays, so how did it end up in the Caribbean, West Africa and on a remote Australian territory in the middle of the South Pacific? Scroll down for the answers and a look at four places outside of the U.S.

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6 Thanksgiving celebrations around the world

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6 Thanksgiving celebrations around the world

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Thanksgiving, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, originated in the fall of 1621, when Pilgrims celebrated their first successful wheat crop. The holiday has since evolved into a day in which bickering families and drunken friends gather to consume massive amounts of turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie, before lounging for hours in front of the TV or battling strangers during midnight Black Friday sales. But while all of that revelry seems uniquely American, we are not the only culture to celebrate a bountiful harvest. Here, a look at other agriculturally-based festivals around the world:

1. Canadian Thanksgiving
Our neighbors to the north actually celebrated Thanksgiving before Pilgrims even landed in Plymouth, Mass. When explorer Martin Frosbisher arrived in Newfoundland, Canada, in 1578, he celebrated with a small feast to give thanks for his safe arrival to the New World, an event that is now commemorated by contemporary Canadians on the second Monday of October. The earlier date is due to the fact that Canada's Thanksgiving is more aligned with European harvest festivals, which traditionally occur in October. In addition, Canada is farther north, which means its harvest season ends earlier than America's. But, besides the date, the celebrations are largely the same, with families gathering around tables piled high with turkey, stuffing, and pies.

2. China's Mid-Autumn Moon Festival
Like the American Thanksgiving, China's Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is a time for family and loved ones to celebrate the end of the harvest season with a giant feast. It is one of the most celebrated Chinese holidays, and is held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, around September or October on the Gregorian calendar. According to legend, the moon is at its brightest and roundest on this day, and may inspire rekindled friendship or romance. The festival's traditional food is the mooncake, a flaky pastry stuffed with either sweet or savory filling.

3. Korea's Chuseok
This day of thanks in late September and early October is one of Korea's three major holidays. It's a time for families to share food and stories, and pay respects to their ancestors. Along with a sprawling feast made from the fresh harvest, the main traditional dish is Songpyeon - glutinous rice kneaded into little cakes and filled with red beans, chestnuts, or other ingredients. The feast is laid out in honor of the deceased, and the family is allowed to dig into the tasty bounty only after a memorial service and, usually, a trip to the graveyard. But the three-day celebration isn't just about food and death. Other organized activities include dancing, wrestling, and dressing in traditional costumes.

4. Liberian Thanksgiving
The Liberian Thanksgiving takes its inspiration directly from the American version, which isn't surprising given that Liberia was founded in the 19th century by freed slaves from the U.S. They brought with them many of the customs they learned in the New World, including Thanksgiving, though they eat mashed cassavas instead of mashed potatoes, and jazz up their poultry with a little spice. The Liberian Thanksgiving is celebrated on the first Thursday in November.

5. Ghana's Homowo Festival
This yam harvest celebration in Accra, a coastal region of Ghana, is meant to commemorate a period of famine in the Ga people's history. The word "homowo" means " hooted at hunger," which is what their ancestors did in the face of famine, before getting to work cultivating the land for food. Today, the festival occurs around harvest time between May and August. During the harvest, women dig up the yams, the country's staple crop, saving the best for the festival dinner. The yams and food are blessed by local chiefs, and the celebration ends with a giant feast that is often complemented by dancing, singing, and drum-playing.

6. The Jewish Feast of the Tabernacles
Sukkot is the third of the Jewish pilgrimage festivals, following Passover and Shavuot. All three mark different stages of the harvest, with Sukkot signifying its end. It is traditionally celebrated outside the home in makeshift huts, a symbolic reminder of the temporary dwellings Israelites inhabited during their journey across the desert.

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6 Thanksgiving celebrations around the world

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Thanksgiving, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, originated in the fall of 1621, when Pilgrims celebrated their first successful wheat crop. The holiday has since evolved into a day in which bickering families and drunken friends gather to consume massive amounts of turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie, before lounging for hours in front of the TV or battling strangers during midnight Black Friday sales.

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How 7 Other Nations Celebrate Thanksgiving | Mental Floss

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How 7 Other Nations Celebrate Thanksgiving | Mental Floss

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Thanksgiving seems like a holiday that's as American as apple pie, or pumpkin pie for that matter. But actually, there are variants of this day all around the world. Their meanings, dates and customs may vary, but they all revolve around the concept of gratitude.

1. GERMANY

A religious holiday that often takes place on the first Sunday of October, Erntedankfest is essentially a harvest festival that gives thanks for a good year and good fortune. In rural areas, the harvest aspect might be taken more literally, but churches in cities also hold festivities. This might include a procession where one wears Erntekrone, a harvest crown made of grain, flowers, and fruit. Although turkeys are making inroads, fattened up chickens ( die Masthühnchen), hens ( die Poularde), castrated roosters ( der Kapaun), and geese ( die Gans) are favored for the feast.

2. JAPAN

Kinrō Kansha no Hi is a national public holiday that Japan celebrates every November 23. Derived from ancient harvest festival rituals named Niinamesai, its modern meaning is more tied to a celebration of hard work and community involvement, hence its translation: Labor Thanksgiving Day. While Niinamesai's traditions reach back thousands of years, Kinrō Kansha no Hi was created officially in 1948. It was intended to celebrate the rights of workers in post-World War II Japan. Today it is celebrated with labor organization-led festivities, and children creating crafts and gifts for local police officers.

3. CANADA

Arising from the same European origins of harvest festivals that led to the United States's version, Canadian Thanksgiving-or, to its French-speaking citizens, l'Action de grâce-was first celebrated in 1578, when English explorer Martin Frobisher gave thanks for his fleet's safe travels in present-day Nunavut. Parliament made it a national holiday in 1879. But in 1957, Parliament moved it from November 6, declaring, "A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed-to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October." Feasting on turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn are common the weekend before. Vacations and parades are also traditional.

4. GRENADA

The West Indian island's version of Thanksgiving shares no origin with America's, and yet would not exist without the United States. Held on October 25 every year, Grenada's Thanksgiving marks the anniversary of the 1983 U.S. military invasion to restore order after the death of communist leader Maurice Bishop. American soldiers who were stationed in the country the following month told locals about their upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, its signature feast, and its intention to focus on gratitude. To show their own gratitude, the people of Grenada worked in secret to surprise the soldiers with meals like those they longed for, complete with turkey and all the fixings. Today, it's celebrated in formal ceremonies of remembrance.

5. LIBERIA

A variation on America's Thanksgiving can be found in the West African nation of Liberia, which was founded in the 19th century by freed slaves from the U.S. Mainly celebrated by Christians, Liberians take the concept of the cornucopia and fill their churches with baskets of local fruits like bananas, papayas, mangoes, and pineapples. An auction for these is held after the service, and then families retreat to their homes to feast. Concerts and dancing have evolved as a distinctive part of Liberia's Thanksgiving traditions.

6. THE NETHERLANDS

For many of the pilgrims, England was just a layover on the way to America. Around 40 percent of the adults on the Mayflower were coming from Leiden in the Netherlands, where they lived and worked from 1609 to 1620. The Dutch have claimed influence on several elements of colonial American life from this contact, including civil marriages, ladder-back chairs, and wood-planked house construction. Some even suggest the pilgrims's Thanksgiving found inspiration in Leiden's annual commemoration of the breaking of the Spanish siege of 1574. Regardless, the people of Leiden still celebrate the American settlers who once lived there with a non-denominational church service on the fourth Thursday of November. Afterwards, there's no turkey, but cookies and coffee are offered.

7. NORFOLK ISLAND

Like Grenada, this small and remote Pacific Island that sits between Australia and New Zealand owes its Thanksgiving to contact with the U.S., specifically with its whalers in the mid-1890s. It began when American trader Isaac Robinson proposed decorating the All Saints Church with palm leaves and lemons, hoping to attract whalers to a Thanksgiving service/celebration. Though Robinson passed away before the following Thanksgiving, the tradition caught on. Now on the last Wednesday of November, families bring fruit and vegetables to the church to celebrate, tying cornstalks to pews, and decorating the altar with fresh flowers. Where they would once recollect their offerings afterwards, now these are sold to raise money for the church.

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How 7 Other Nations Celebrate Thanksgiving

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Thanksgiving seems like a holiday that's as American as apple pie, or pumpkin pie for that matter. But actually, there are variants of this day all around the world. Their meanings, dates and customs may vary, but they all revolve around the concept of gratitude. 1.