Thanksgiving: History, Day and Traditions
Thanksgiving is a national holiday in countries like Canada and the United States Of America celebrating the harvest and the blessings of the preceding year. Most of the Americans believe that their Thanksgiving is molded on a 1621 harvest feast shared by Wampanoag people and the English colonist (Pilgrims) of Plymouth. This American holiday is particularly rich in symbolism and tradition. The traditional fare of Thanksgiving meal, typically, turkey, potatoes, cranberries, pumpkins pie, and bread stuffing. As far as vehicular traffic is concerned, Thanksgiving is the busiest of the year. This is because all the members of the family pay visits to each other.
Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November each year in the United States of America. Thanksgiving is celebrated every year in the USA since the year 1789, the year it was proclaimed after a request by Congress by George Washington. Though Thomas Jefferson chose not to observe this day as a national holiday, it still observed intermittently until Abraham Lincoln became the President. It was during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln that Thanksgiving became a federal holiday in 1963 in the midst of the American Civil War.
Thanksgiving is also a day of charity, a day to open up our hearts for those who need us. The poor are usually provided with food on Thanksgiving day. Some communities organize food or charity drives in the various parts of the country to collect non-perishable packed food, canned food, and charitable organizations provide a full course meal to people on Thanksgiving Day.
Thanksgiving dinner derives its roots from the dinner held in 1621 by the Pilgrims who settled by the Plymouth Plantation and Wampanoag people. Turkey is the most important part of the Thanksgiving dinner. Besides turkey, this dinner also includes potatoes, cranberries, pumpkin pie as some of its must-haves.
Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the ‘Holiday Season’ in the United States of America. Every state of the USA has its own very way of celebrating the festival of Thanksgiving. On this day, many states of the USA observe the much-awaited parades, containing big balloons, high school marching bands, Television stars, Cartoon Characters, and whatnot.