Thanksgiving Day is the most truly American of the national holidays in the United States and is most closely connected with the earliest history of the country.
In 1620, the settlers, or pilgrims, they sailed to America on the may flower, seeking a place where they could have freedom of worship. After a tempestuous two-month voyage they landed at in icy November, what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts
During their first winter, over half of the settlers died of starvation or epidemics. Those who survived began sowing in the first spring.
All summer long they waited for the harvests with great anxiety, knowing that their lives and the future existence of the colony depended on the coming harvest. Finally the fields produced a yield rich beyond expectations. And therefore it was decided that a day of thanksgiving to the lord be fixed.
Years later, president of the United States proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day every year. The celebration of Thanksgiving Day has been observed on that date until today.
The pattern of the thanksgiving celebration has never changed through the years. The big family dinner is planned months ahead. On the dinner table, people will find apples, oranges, chestnuts, walnuts and grapes. There will be plum pudding, mince pie, other varieties of food and cranberry juice and squash.
The best and most attractive among them are roast turkey and pumpkin pie. They have been the most traditional and favorite food on Thanksgiving Day throughout the years.
Everyone agrees the dinner must be built around roast turkey stuffed with bread dressing to absorb the tasty juices as it roasts. But as cooking varies with families and with the regions where one lives, it is not easy to get a consensus on the precise kind of stuffing for the royal bird.
Thanksgiving today is, in every sense, a national annual holiday on which Americans of all faiths and backgrounds join in to express their thanks for the year‘s bounty and reverently ask for continued blessings.
The Thanksgiving legacy has been alive for hundreds of years. The customs we see in our homes today remind us of ancient celebrations of harvest, thankfulness for peace, and the endeavors of native Americans. It consists of stories of those who believe that gratitude for blessings is a virtue all must possess.
For centuries, 'Thanksgiving Day' is associated with communal prayers in church and in homes. People offer various meal time prayers during the day. It is a time, when mankind thanks God for all his blessings and grace. It is also a day to show gratitude to your friends and relatives for all the good deeds.
The traditional stuffed turkey adorns every dinner table during thefeast. pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, corns are some of the dishes cooked everywhere to mark the day.
Though historians don’t have an evidence to prove that turkey was eaten duringthe first thanksgiving dinner, the thanksgiving celebration will be incomplete without it.
The traditional thanksgiving parade probably started with president lincolnproclaiming it an official day. the full- dress parade is a way to display the country’smilitary strength and discipline. the main aim of such parades is to lift the spirits ofthe spectators, provide them with wholesome entertainment. in the present day, parades areaccompanied with musical shows and celebrities.
football games??watching nfl football during thanksgiving is a popular tradition. thetraditional game between the detroit lions and the green bay packers continues. one of themost memorable games having been played on this day.
Thanksgiving is a time to decorate homes with wreaths, fresh and dried flowers. People beautify their homes, give the interiors a whole new look and feel. They light lamps to brighten the environment. Tables are adorned with best china and antique silver cutlery to mark the occasion.
Thanksgiving is a day when people send loving messages and warm wishes to their relatives, colleagues at work place, superiors and subordinates, near and dear ones. It is a day of conveying their feelings through Thanksgiving cards.