Thanksgiving Day in Canada is fast approaching.
In 1578, English explorer Martin Frobisher and his crew gave thanks in present day Nunavut. The explorers dined on salt beef, biscuits, and mushy peas and were grateful for their safe arrival in the new land.
We could say that this marked an early Canadian Thanksgiving. Today our food items for this time of gratitude are slightly different.
Canadian Thanksgiving is held on the second Monday of October every year since the Canadian Parliament declared it so on January 31, 1957. Before this date, Thanksgiving in Canada had been held sporadically, often coinciding with other major events and anniversaries.
Parliament officially declares Thanksgiving as “a day of general thanksgiving to almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed.”
While this mandate for Thanksgiving may not be observed by all Canadians, the ideas of gratitude, of spending time with family, and sharing a delicious meal remain the tradition for most.
Some Indigenous households are reclaiming the holiday and practising Indigenous gratitude instead.
The word gratitude entered the English language in 1523. It means a state of being grateful or thankful. It derives from the Latin gratus, meaning grateful. Gratitude is more than the thoughts that you have, it is a feeling, an attitude to live by. Gratitude is a state of consciousness. We experience gratitude in our hearts.
People give gifts as a token of gratitude. When someone does something very moving in a personal way, we experience a debt of gratitude. Gratitude is expressed for the support given in various situations.
In the Bible the Greek word eucharistia is translated as thanksgiving or gratitude. In the ancient Greek world eucharistia was a common inscription on documents and plaques that were given or dedicated for rulers, in the public area, and for God or gods, in religious usage.
A common reading for Thanksgiving Day in many churches is from Luke chapter 17. “On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”
When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks.” (Luke 17:11-16)
The sacred Christian meal of bread and wine during church services has been called The Eucharist, meaning the great thanksgiving. Jesus gave thanks before the Passover meal he observed with his disciples on the night in which he was betrayed, the beginnings of Holy Communion.
The Lord’s Supper is celebrated with gratitude for the participation Christians have in the saving work of the Christ through the actions of eating and drinking.
This coming weekend have gratitude for life and for the amazing wonders of the world around us.
For some gratitude may take the form acts of thanksgiving to God or gods. For others it might just be an attitude for the blessings of life. Have gratitude for your daily bread. Live gratitude for your family and friends.
I hope your Thanksgiving meal might be a little more substantial than Frobisher’s crew in 1578.
May your gratitude shape your life for positive living. Whatever you may eat on this Thanksgiving weekend I hope your gratitude is not aligned with this unknown author, “The thing I’m most grateful for right now is elastic waistbands.”
Happy Thanksgiving!
The views expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Moose Jaw Today, the Moose Jaw Express, its management, or its subsidiaries.
