Posts tagged ‘canada’
Thanksgiving Course Two—Canada
Ready for your second course of Explorica’s Thanksgiving treat? Here’s a look at how the holiday began in Canada. The most popular stories about Canadian Thanksgiving, known as Jour de l’Action de grace in the French speaking regions, involve two explorers with dangerous adventures. You could say the fall holiday is a celebration of survival.
Avoiding the fate of past explorers, Marin Frobisher survived his long journey in an effort to uncover a northern passage from Europe to Asia. Though the mission was unsuccessful, the fact that he actually returned was reason enough (if not more reason) to celebrate. And so in 1578, he held a ceremony to give thanks for his homecoming in the present province of Newfoundland and Labrador. This feast is known as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in North America.
Others believe the holiday began in 1604 when French settlers crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain (the very same who discovered and first explored the Great Lakes.) Gladly sharing food with the First Nations neighbors, the travelers held huge feasts of thanks annually and formed ‘”The Order of Good Cheer” which marked the harvests and other events.
Still another origin theory is that it all started as an old European farming custom of coming together to toast a plentiful harvest. The farmers filled a goat’s curved horn with fruits and grains called a cornucopia or the horn of plenty. It’s said they brought this tradition to Canada. But hundreds of years went by before the Canadian Parliament recognized the folk practice. The country didn’t have a set date to celebrate this end of the harvest until 1957 when it officially became the second Monday in October. To change it up even more, officials decided that every year the holiday would have a different theme marking an important event to be thankful for. Perhaps that’s where we get our custom of saying thanks for our individual blessings every year around the table.
French Canada to New Orleans
“Laissez les bon temps roulez” as they say in New Orleans. The French influence in the Big Easy travels from the architecture to the food and even through the music. Is it the Cajuns or the Creoles (or both) that first brought their spicy flavors to the Crescent City? And what exactly is the difference? Cajun and Creole culture is a large part of what makes New Orleans unlike any other city in the United States. It may be easy to see the influences from an American native, European, West African and Caribbean melting pot. But, you might be surprised to know if it weren’t for Canada, we might not have the pleasure of jambalaya, crawfish pie and filé gumbo. On your visit to this southern anomaly, tip your hat to the north. You have a bit of Canadian history to thank.
The circus is calling in Montréal
Life’s a circus. But some days, you might still daydream about running off to join one. Try it on for size in Montréal, Canada whose unique circus company brought the world the spectacular Cirque de Soleil. Though the idea of a circus—involving a traveling group of trained animals, acrobats, and clowns—dates back to Ancient Rome, this nouveau cirque entertains through more a theatrical, character-driven style. Exit wild animals; enter the phenomenal feats of the human form. This modern circus—combining amazing acrobatic performances with eye-catching stage design, artistic lighting, modern music and thematic stories only began in the early 1980s. One show, and it’s easy to see why these gymnastic stunts are so captivating. It might be tempting to try it yourself. And with Explorica, you practically can…