Are you ready for the Thanksgiving dinner? Let's first learn about the culture and history of Thanksgiving!
The importance of Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Day in the United States is a holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. The day after is also known as Black Friday is a holiday in more than 20 states. It's common to take trips and visit family and friends during the long weekend. For most Americans, Thanksgiving is the most important holiday after Christmas. Indeed, the commercialized nature of Christmas has made Thanksgiving, with its emphasis on family, even more cherished.
In some cities and towns, there are parades during the Thanksgiving weekend. In most areas, these festivities also mark the opening of the Christmas shopping season.
Most government offices, businesses, schools, universities, colleges, and other organizations are closed on Thanksgiving Day. Many offices and businesses allow staff to have a long four-day weekend for Thanksgiving, so these offices and businesses are also closed on the Day after Thanksgiving Day. Public transit systems usually do not operate on their regular timetables.
Thanksgiving Day is one of the busiest periods for travel in the USA. This can cause congestion and overcrowding. Seasonal parades and busy football games can also cause disruption to local traffic.
How to celebrate Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a day for people in the US to give thanks for what they have. Families and friends get together for a Thanksgiving Dinner, which traditionally includes a roast turkey, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables, cranberry sauce, gravy, and pumpkin pie. The Turkey of Thanksgiving dinner, called Thanksgiving Turkey, is the centerpiece of the table, so Thanksgiving Day is sometimes commonly known as Turkey Day.
The history of Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Day has been an annual holiday in the United States since 1863. However, not everyone sees Thanksgiving Day as a cause for celebration.
Beginning in 1970, a group of Native Americans and their supporters have staged an annual protest for a National Day of Mourning at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day. American Indian Heritage Day is also observed at this time of the year.
There are claims that the first Thanksgiving Day was held in the city of El Paso, Texas, in 1598. Another early event was held in 1619 in the Virginia Colony. Many people trace the origins of the modern Thanksgiving Day to the harvest celebration the Pilgrims held in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. However, their first true thanksgiving was in 1623, when they gave thanks for rain that ended a drought. These early thanksgivings took the form of a special church service, rather than a feast.
In the second half of the 1600s, thanksgivings after the harvest became more common and started to become annual events. However, they were celebrated on different days in different communities and in some places there were more than one thanksgiving each year. George Washington, the first president of the United States, proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day in 1789.
Last but not least, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic is raging and natural disasters continue to plague the world. It is not easy for us to remain safe and healthy despite setbacks and obstacles. Therefore, we should be always thankful for the people and things around us.
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To the point, what are you most grateful for in 2021? If you want to pick a product from Olightstore to give him or her, what would you choose? Would you share your stories with us?
Happy Thanksgiving!
