Explore the rich history and significance of Thanksgiving Day, the cherished national festival of the United States. Discover heart warming wishes.
Thanksgiving Day, America’s national festival
It is said that a national festival is an event to purify and rebuild the national character. A festival is a kind of ordinary event celebrated by a community, based on some particular characteristics of that community and its religious customs. A vast number of festivals are marked as local or national importance. Thanksgiving Day is also a national festival in the United States of America.
What is meant
by Thanksgiving Day?
Thanksgiving Day
is a special day when we show our gratitude for the blessings that we avail the
whole year in the form of health, wealth, safe journey, educational achievements,
etc.
Thanksgiving Day
is a national holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the
united states. According to the majority of historians, the first US
Thanksgivings Day was celebrated in 1621. Abraham Lincoln was the American
pioneer president who officially declared the holiday as a national festival
celebrated on the last Thursday of November. According to his own choice after
Lincoln, every coming president celebrated the event on a different date in
November. It is a day to gather with loved ones, celebrate, give thanks for
many blessings, and, of course, eat. It is celebrated on different dates in
various countries. It originated as the harvest festival. The people of
different countries celebrate this special day in different ways parties and
grand dinners are the common things of this beautiful event. It is celebrated
on October 15 in most of the countries. It is one of the oldest traditions in
the world.
Different
countries started celebrating Thanksgiving Day in different years e. g. America
started celebrating in the 1600s; however, this day is celebrated on different
November dates in different US states. This day got much importance in a short
time. Many presidents of America like Lincoln, Roosevelt, George Washington, etc.,
took part in celebrating their national day.
In Canada, it
was started celebrated in the 1700s; however, different historians have
different opinions about the exact date, year, and month of origin of Thanksgiving
Day. Thanksgiving Day in Canada did not have a fixed date until the late 19th
century. The first official Thanksgiving Day occurred on April 15, 1872, when
the nation was celebrating the Prince of Wale's recovery from a serious illness.
Now in Canada, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday of October.
In English
tradition, days of thanksgiving and memorable thanksgiving services became
important during the English Reformation in the reign of Henry VIII, and this
day is celebrated in England in late November.
How is
Thanksgiving Day celebrated?
As we all know
that each and every festival, culture, or day which we celebrate is ultimately
a gathering of family, relatives, friends, etc., it is also understood that in
every gathering there is endless laughter, gossip, different games are played,
and of course, yummy food is served, and all these are the valuable components
of a perfect celebration.
Traditionally,
this holiday celebrates thanks for the autumn harvest. At first, this day was
not celebrated regularly.
This day
originated as a harvest festival. When the harvest season ended, people started
celebrating this season as a festival after a successful growing season. The
dinner traditionally consists of foods and dishes indigenous to the Americans,
namely turkey, potatoes, squash, corn, green beans, cranberries, and pumpkin
pie. Thanksgiving is regarded as the beginning of the fall-winter holiday
season, along with Christmas and the new year, in American culture. With
respect to vehicular travel, the holiday is often the busiest of the year, as
family members gather.
The American
holiday is particularly rich in legend and symbolism and the traditional fare
of the Thanksgiving meal. As the country became urban slowly and the members of
one family moved to different places for various purposes, Thanksgiving Day
became the day of family gatherings and meetings. The custom of giving thanks
for the annual harvest is one of the oldest celebrations and can be traced back
to the dawn of civilization. But it is not a major modern event. On the arrival
of this special day, people forget their sorrows and sufferings, welcome Thanksgiving
Day warmly, and enjoy the beauty and happiness of this day. People meet their
loved ones and exchange their good wishes for one another. This day relaxes the
people and makes them fresh for the next working day. 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.
Specific dish
on Thanksgiving Day
Turkey is the
particular dish of the event, and without this dish, thanksgivings day is
considered incomplete. People make different dishes of turkey and delight
themselves. There are many other dishes that Americans cook on a blessed day. Some
tasty vegetables like Potatoes, green beans corn are cooked for the
celebrations of the day.
Thanksgiving Day
is a national holiday in the United States, Canada, and some Caribbean islands.
On this day, the blessings and happiness of the previous year are celebrated. Firstly,
it was not a national holiday to be spent in the past, but in the modern era
where people have no time for family gatherings, a social meetup on Thanksgiving
Day becomes a reason to meet friends and attend a social gathering.
After having a
fantastic holiday like Thanksgiving, people start shopping for Christmas.
Traditional
activities of the day
Generally,
parades, football matches social gatherings—parades of Thanksgiving Day end in
the evening. A massive amount of people attend this parade every year. Because
these games and activities amuse people people let their sufferings
and tensions move away. People come out of their boring daily routine and try
to refresh themselves. It is considered an occasion to release the yearly
fatigue and put themselves in the celebrations of the fabulous event. Many
churches held special Thanksgiving Day services centered on giving thanks to
God. At home, various types of rituals are observed to express what every person
in the family is thankful for. People show eagerness for this day and travel
long distances to attend the Thanksgiving family gatherings and to attend this
yearly reunion.
Another
interesting activity is seen on the occasion that the president of the US pardons a
turkey, and the meaning is that the turkey will live on a farm without any
threat of being eaten.
Importance of
the Thanksgiving Day
The most
important thing on Thanksgiving Day is family gatherings. In the material world
of today, people don’t have enough time to pass with their loved ones. In this
era, people are dying for the time they could spend with their family and
friends and enjoy their company. But their routine is so much hectic that they
can only wish for family time. People of the present century are running after
wealth and status, blindly that’s why they have missed the beauty of life,
family, and friends. When people don’t have family time they suffer from
anxiety, tension, frustration, and depression. They also suffer from bodily
pain, but depression harms the most. People go to different places, cities,
provinces even different countries to earn livelihood for themselves and their families,
from their native places. Students also go to different educational
institutions to get an education. They have to suffer a lot because they have to
live in hostels and other places without their family. There they miss their
family a lot because at that time they need their family a lot.
Then people wait
for such kind of blessed holidays that they can go home and celebrate with
their family. Such occasions and festivals become the golden memories of their
lives. They meet with their family, friends, neighbors, and relatives. Grand
dinners are planned, traditional dishes are cooked, friends and relatives are
invited to parties and people make unforgettable memories.
People also
perform thanking rituals. Some special rituals are also performed in churches. Religious
classes of society go to churches regularly especially on traditional
occasions to pay gratitude for the blessings. That’s why thanksgivings Day is
important.
Busiest
holiday of the year with respect to traveling
Thanksgiving’s
holiday is the busiest holiday in the united states with respect to travel. People
of the US travel a lot on the coming of Thanksgiving Day. Family members of a
family plan to meet in a decided place or city and to reach the decided place
they have to travel.
Other reasons for
traveling are that families, friends, and friends make plans to visit some
particular place to enjoy the celebrations of Thanksgiving Day. Students and
other family members who live in distant places from their families for different
purposes travel to their native cities and places.
“Thanksgiving’s
day is not an event, but a day to meet each other. ’’
With the passage
of time, the activities of Thanksgiving Day also kept on changing. There are some
particular traditions that do not change as it is mentioned above that, turkey
is a specific dish that is especially cooked on the event and this custom did
not change after passing years after years.
Now, the world
has changed and also the minds of people, cultures, traditions, fashions, and
customs have changed. People of the present age celebrate the event according to
their own taste. Some people get happiness by helping the poor. On the day of the celebration,
they go to hospitals, old homes, orphan homes, and many other places where
needy people live, in order to accommodate them in their joy and happiness. They
visit hospitals and help the downtrodden people monetarily through this way,
they get
spiritual
serenity.
Other people
visit their needy relatives to spend the colorful day of Thanksgiving to relieve
them from their sorrows and sufferings and make them happy.
People also
arrange outdoor activities and games to enjoy the presence of their beloved. people
exchange presents with each other, which show their affection and love for each
other.
Why do we
celebrate festivals?
Mostly,
festivals have a religious origin and thus we come to respect our religions. No
doubt, festivals are a great blessing for humanity because they give relaxation
and offer the time to spend with those Family members whom we never see really.
Here are some
awesome wishes for Thanksgivings Day.
People get up early in the morning, wear gorgeous clothes, go out, and say happy Thanksgiving Day.
On this blessed day of thanksgiving, I am grateful for having such a loving and caring family of mine, always standing on my side in every crisis and also for loving me.
My dearest sister on this fabulous occasion of paying gratitude, I am waiting impatiently to meet you, to hug you, and wish you a very happy Thanksgiving Day.
Happiest Thanksgiving Day to my soulmate, my crime partner, my backbone, my lifeline, and also my best friend; wishing you a day full of joy and blessings, and may this day come into your life again and again.
Thank you for being a kind and loving father of mine! For supporting me, guiding me, standing on my part in difficulties, teaching me how to handle a complicated situation, and also for loving me.
Thanksgiving Day is not for just attending parties and making ourselves happy, but to think upon the lessons that we learned throughout the whole year, saying goodbye to this year and welcoming warmly the approaching year.
Wishing you a Thanksgiving overflowing with generosity, calmness, peace of mind, and love.
On this year, I am thankful for so many blessings but you are on the top of those blessings, Happy Thanksgiving Day!
Thank you, Mom, for being my dearest and greatest blessing, Happy holiday season!
May this day of thanksgiving bring you a lot of respect, health, wealth, and success, Happy harvest season.
Often, we forget to say thank you to people for being in our lives. Today I’ll try to compensate for my mistake by telling my loved ones for helping me and making my life pleasant with their presence. thank you for each and every beautiful moment you spent with me.
These are not the festival which makes us happy but the presence of our family and friends. Happy lovely Thanksgiving Day my dearest family.
The cool breeze is blowing, birds are chirping, the cuckoo is singing the song in her melodious voice clouds are wondering and children are laughing, I am sending you heart-touching wishes for Thanksgiving Day. Stay blessed and stay happy. Happy Thanksgiving Day.
Thank you for being my role model in my life and for giving me favors in my hard times. Happy holiday!
We do not live close enough to meet each other daily but our hearts are close enough to wish each other the blessing of Thanksgiving Day. Always be happy my dear!
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