It was an English explorer Martin Frobisher who actually led to the origin of Canadian Thanksgiving. He had been trying to find since long a passage to get to the orient. Even though he did not succeed in the task, he achieved something else which was the establishment of a settlement in North America. A formal ceremony was then held in Newfoundland in 1578 which is considered to be the first Canadian thanksgiving. Also around the same time, French settlers who had arrived in Canada with Samuel de Champlain who was an explorer also held huge feasts for thanksgiving. The ‘Order of Good Cheer’ was also formed at the same time.

Again in the year 1763 when the Seven Year War ended, the special meal of Thanksgiving was held by the people of Halifax. In 1879, November 6th was proclaimed as the Thanksgiving Day but the date was dubious and was changed and contested many times. Ultimately in 1957 on January 31st, the second Monday of October was proclaimed by parliament as a national holiday for the occasion of thanksgiving.