A Belated Happy Thanksgiving!

A little primer on the holiday. Since 1957, Canada has observed the annual celebration on the second Monday in October, coinciding with Columbus Day in the US since 1971.

The origins of the American traditions taking place in Canada can be traced to refugees from the US, loyal to the Crown, who fled to Canada after the American Revolution. Starting in 1879, when it became a national holiday, Thanksgiving was held every year, but on a rotating schedule with different themes. For a number of years the theme was "Blessings of an abundant harvest." Following the first World War through 1930, Armistice Day and Thanksgiving were celebrated on the Monday nearest to November 11th,  the anniversary of the official end of the war. In 1931, Armistice Day was christened Remembrance Day and Thanksgiving was moved to the month prior.

More fun facts: in Quebec, Thanksgiving, or Jour de l'Action de grâce, is held by the English-speaking population but French Canadians generally refrain from doing anything.

And it is not a statutory holiday in the Maritime provinces of Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswich and Nova Scotia.

Shani R. Friedman, a native of Nova Scotia, is a writer and editor living in New York who started a pop culture and news blog about Canada three years ago. Visit Shani's Blog at http://allthingscanadian.blogspot.com/.