Thanksgiving: Gobble, Gobble, Turkey Lovers

Thanksgiving is a holiday specifically designed to help the citizens of North America consume their weights in turkey...right. Okay, not right. The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving can be traced back to 1578, when the English voyager, Martin Frobisher, started to search for the Northwest Passage (a sea route through the Arctic Ocean), and any gold he could potentially bring back to England. Unfortunately for this explorer, all the precious metals he brought back to Great Britain turned out to be absolute rubbish, but his original venturings are thought not to be completely in vain, as he inspired others to start to investigate the previously unexplored territory of Canada. These other investigations began in 1604, when French explorer Samuel de Champlain arrived in Canada, and he started to hold huge ‘Feasts of Thanks’ alongside the First Nations peoples he encountered during his journeys. Canadian Thanksgivings also expanded after the American Revolution when United Empire Loyalists immigrated to Canada and brought their Thanksgiving traditions across the border. As all Americans are taught in primary school, the “First Thanksgiving” in America occurred in 1619, when the original Plymouth Colony Pilgrims gave thanks to the Native Americans for aiding them in surviving their first, cold New England winter. This original celebration lasted for three days - I bet everyone wishes that still went on - but the single U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving was created officially in 1863, when President Lincoln announced during the Civil War that November 26 should become the official day to give thanks. It is now celebrated on the 4th Thursday in November. Similar official recognition for the holiday occurred in 1957 for Canada when the Canadian Government formally declared the second Monday in October to be the country’s official day of thanks. Brentwood students are now reaping the rewards of this holiday. Alongside family and friends, students wait to dive into all that this holiday entails. Before we packed our bags and drove away from campus, our school provided a Thanksgiving celebration for all students, filled to the brim with food and festivities. Our dining hall was awash in warmth and color, festive decorations and center pieces spread throughout every corner of the room. Pumpkins, flowers, fall-colored napkin arrangements, cranberry sauce, name tags, FOOD! All of these things were incorporated into Brentwood’s Thanksgiving feast, provided by our wonderful kitchen staff. Our delicious meal was spread out as a buffet, with members of the Student Executive Council (SEC) serving the traditional dishes associated with the holiday. Students laughed and gave thanks together surrounded by plates of ham, turkey, squash, vegetables, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin tarts and apple danishes! Students salivate about this dinner for weeks and mentioned more than once that this year was the absolute best Thanksgiving meal ever. The dinner concluded with a well-deserved standing ovation for all of the staff members involved in the preparation of this wonderful meal. The fun didn’t stop there; the evening closed with a Thanksgiving performance, featuring a variety of performers from song and dance, to moving speeches about summer volunteer experiences around the world (Nissan A in Cambodia, Katie S in the Dominican Republic, and Raveena K in India). The concert gave students a great send off to the holiday weekend. Spending time with family, celebrating with food, appreciating life are the same traditions enjoyed during the original holidays hundreds of years ago. Some people say that history shouldn’t repeat itself. I hope that this historical holiday, however, endures - perfectly delicious, in all senses of the word.