Thanksgiving in the US vs Thanksgiving in Canada

There are many popular Thanksgiving traditions in Canada and the United States.

Travel and family

In both countries, Thanksgiving is a time to be with family. In the United States, Thanksgiving weekend is the busiest travel day of the year. Some Canadians use the 3-day break for a weekend getaway.

Thanksgiving meal

During the American Revolution, Americans loyal to Britain moved to Canada and brought with them Thanksgiving customs and practices. So there are many similarities in Thanksgiving meals in both countries.

The signature dish of the traditional Thanksgiving meal in America is turkey (Thanksgiving is sometimes called "Turkish Day"). Meal is usually a meal cooked for 5-10 people as family (and friends) usually gather on this day. Stuffing, mashed potatoes with sauce, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet corn, other fall vegetables, and pumpkin pie are often associated with Thanksgiving dinner.

There are few differences between Canadian and American recipes for Thanksgiving. Eg,

• Canadian pumpkin pie is spicy, with ginger, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, while American pumpkin pie is usually sweet and has custard in it.

• Canadians bake sweet potatoes or mash them into a puree, while Americans add butter, sugar, and spices to make a casserole with marshmallows.

• Canadians use bread crumbs or rice for stuffing and in the United States made with a tortilla base in the Southern states, oysters are used in the Eastern states and the Northern states use rice like Canada.

• Canadians traditionally serve wheat-based bread at Thanksgiving dinner, while Americans tend to serve cornbread, muffins, or sliced ​​bread.

• The traditional Thanksgiving meal is dinner on a Thursday in the United States while in Canada the party can be held on a Sunday or Monday.

Shopping

In the US the day after Thanksgiving is characterized by heavy shopping, encouraged by some enticing deals and discounts offered by retailers. Stores usually open early on Friday mornings, and people line up at night to be the first to walk through the doors when stores open so they can get the best "doorbell" deals. This day is known as "Black Friday" because it is traditionally the day when retail stores go from red to black (turning profit) during the year. The Monday after Thanksgiving is known as "Cyber ​​Monday" because heavy online shoppers do on that day.

Parade and football

Thanksgiving in the United States is characterized by large parades, the Macy's Parade is the best known. Parades in Canada are smaller and on a local level. The Kitchener-Waterloo Ok/10fest Parade serves as Canada's only Thanksgiving Day Parade and is broadcast nationally. Canadians also enjoy football on Thanksgiving Day - the Canadian Football League hosts a nationally televised doubles team called the "Classic Thanksgiving Day".

Read more: Fun activities during Thanksgiving