It's an annual feast held the second Monday of October, but the calendar isn't the only thing that distinguishes our Thanksgiving from that celebrated south of the border.
Unlike the American tradition of remembering and paying tribute to pilgrims, Canadians give thanks for a successful harvest. It's a tradition that dates back to ancient European festivities that celebrated the bounty of the harvest and enough food to survive the winter.
English explorer Martin Frobisher is widely credited with hosting the first Canadian Thanksgiving. It was held in what is now Newfoundland during his expedition's attempts to find the Northwest Passage to the Orient in 1578 and marked their safe arrival to the New World.
That means our first Thanksgiving was celebrated 43 years before the English colonists arrived in Plymouth, Mass. in 1620. French settlers arriving in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain also held huge feasts of thanks.
During the American Revolution, Americans loyal to England moved to Canada and brought along Thanksgiving customs and practices. But recipes handed down from previous generations can differ on either side of the 49th parallel.
Take pumpkin pie, for example: Canadians enjoy a spicy pie infused with nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and ginger, while Americans typically complete their feast with one that's custardy and sweet.
Over the years, many dates were used to mark fall's bounty. Since Parliament issued a proclamation in 1957, Thanksgiving Day in Canada has always been held on the second Monday in October and remains a time to give thanks for food, friends, families and everything good in our lives.
Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November, when they indulge not only in food, but also in watching football and shopping.