Essentially the second biggest celebration in America apart from Christmas is Thanksgiving which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November every year.
It is an age-old family tradition that includes family get-togethers and the mandatory Thanksgiving Dinner. Over the years, this longstanding tradition has seen changes manifold and today Americans do a lot more than just reunions and dinners.
Also known as Turkey Day, this ancient tradition has evolved in the USA with many more fun activities added to this custom. Let’s delve into the realm of Thanksgiving explore more about this tradition and learn how the Americans observe and celebrate this day.
Present-day Thanksgiving Celebration in America
Quintessentially the American harvest festival, Thanksgiving was declared an official national holiday by the then US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the year 1941. Ever since that day, Thanksgiving has been a festival of Americans celebrating their happy lives, families, and who they owe it to. They engage in activities like:
Parade –
The day generally starts with Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV at 9:00 AM and lasts until noon. The streets of New York are filled with millions of spectators and others watch it on the TV.
The Turkey Pardon – Every year the US president is gifted with two turkeys at the White House. During the ongoing ceremony the president traditionally “pardons” the turkeys for them to live on a farm.
Travel/Vacation –
As Thanksgiving is celebrated on a Thursday, most Americans take the following day (i.e. Friday) off to make a pack of four days of holidays and travel to their loved destinations for vacations.
The Dinner – Food is an integral part of the Thanksgiving celebration. Families gather for the feast. Usually, the entire family contributes to the preparation of the grand feast which traditionally includes turkey, sweet potatoes, gravies, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and pies for dessert to end the dinner.
The Wishbone –
This is a fun part of the tradition that is practiced by some families who love breaking the wishbone of the turkey to get their wish. This is done by removing the meat from the bones of the turkey and the wishbone is left for a while to get dry and brittle. Then two members of the family grab two ends of the bone (one each) and pull. The one with the bigger share of the bone wishes.
Voluntary Services –
Thanksgiving is a great time to help the poor, homeless, or less-privileged people. Some Americans utilize this day by doing charitable work like providing food/gifts to these people at various homeless shelters or by distributing canned food among the deprived.
The Black Friday –
The following Friday after Thanksgiving is termed as the ‘Black Friday.’ Though this term has entirely been conceived and brought out by US retailers, this day is the day when people are on a shopping spree as the retail market is full of huge discounts and offers, a chance everyone gets only once a year.
The Americans believe that Thanksgiving is all about being thankful for whatever we have in life. It's about thanking everyone in our lives for our being at the moment. Therefore, plan your upcoming wisely by helping out the neglected and the deprived humans of society.