Canadian Thanksgiving

You've toiled in the fields all summer and you know there's a long, cold winter just around the corner. There's no better way to reward yourself for all that hard work than by throwing a massive party with food, drink, and family before the snow starts to fly.

Some historians believe that the first North American Thanksgiving was held in 1578 in what was to later become Newfoundland. If this is the case, it means that Canadian Thanksgiving predates the American celebration by some 43 years.

Regardless of which country introduced the holiday to North America, harvest festivals of some shape or form have been celebrated for a long time. The Chinese, for example, have celebrated the fall harvest since the Shang dynasty, nearly a thousand years ago.

Whatever their origins, harvest festivals like our Thanksgiving have many similarities. According to Wikipedia, eating, merriment, and even romance are common features of the harvest festivals all around the world.