Thanksgiving Day 2022; Origin and Traditions
Thanksgiving is one of the American holidays and is celebrated across the United States of America and Canada. The fourth Thursday in November will be celebrated as Thanksgiving Day 2022. Every year the Americans and Canadians pour their hearts out to celebrate this festival. However, the tradition of Thanksgiving is even deep-rooted in History, even before America existed as a country. In this article, we will find out the traditions and reasons that Thanksgiving is premised upon.
Let’s find out the brief History of Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving was coined as a holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, while in Canada, Thanksgiving was made into the Holiday list in 1957. In Canada, the second Monday in October is celebrated as Thanksgiving. It is a way of thanking God for the food as well as the loved ones. After Halloween, Thanksgiving is one of the most vastly celebrated festivals in the United States and Canada. One of the most significant reasons for no plantation was the time of the year. It all started back in 1620, with a protestant religious group today known as Pilgrims coming to America and settling in Massachusetts. Upon arriving at the shores of American land, they began to make their way westward and were exposed to extreme winters. As the group wasn’t well prepared to survive the harsh conditions in America, their first winter was full of agony and hardships. As a matter of fact, in the very first winter, they couldn’t plant enough food and vegetables to eat; as a consequence, almost half of the pilgrims died in severe conditions. The land conditions were not up to the mark for farming and harvesting. Henceforth, the Pilgrims decided to look for an apt solution for the sake of survival in the frozen cold land of Massachusetts.
Reacting to the circumstances, the pilgrims sought help from the native Americans. Following this, the Native Americans and Pilgrims collaborated to grow food in the spring season. As the Native Americans were highly skilled in adapting and surviving in the highly severe and adverse climate conditions, they figured out how to produce more than enough for the people. Hence, the Pilgrims survived the next winters on the frozen land.
The first Thanksgiving in the USA.
In the year 1621, natives and pilgrims were able to harvest a lot of corn, pumpkin, beans, and other vegetables that made them survive better in the foreign land. In order to thank the natives, the pilgrims organized a three-day feast (known as Thanksgiving). All the summoned guests praised and thanked the Lord for blessing them with more than enough food at the party. This is how the festivity started, and the modern-day Thanksgiving is premised upon this incident. The great leader Abraham Lincoln passed the official orders to mark this day as an official day in the United States of America.
A brief about Modern-day Thanksgiving
As mentioned earlier, modern-day Thanksgiving is premised upon the old traditions of thanking God for food. Even these days, the families sit together for dinner and perform the ritual of praising the omnipotent God. In addition to this, many people organize the feast for a get together on this day. Modern-day Thanksgiving is more inclined to originate the spirit of connection and spiritual bonding among Americans and cultivate a sense of appreciation for the noble doings of others.
Traditions on Thanksgiving
There are several ways Americans and Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving. It is worth mentioning that the times have changed a lot during the first-ever Thanksgiving Day; subsequently, it is imperative for Americans to keep it relatable for the new generations. A few of them are practiced as per the old times while others are newly blended with History to make the holiday more relatable in the modern times. Following are some of the traditions that are practiced on modern-day Thanksgiving.
Family reunion
All the family members gather for the feast and enjoy the meal with all their loved ones on these days. Some people even eat traditional food and teach them the significance of framing. Furthermore, they educate their young ones about the tradition of Thanksgiving. The family sits together and praises the almighty. Some Historians even believed that people also consume Turkey as a part of the tradition as it was eaten during the first Thanksgiving ever. However, there is no such evidence of it to date. Some Historians also say that Thanksgiving is considered incomplete without Turkey being placed on the dining table.
Parades
On this day, you can see the traditional Thanksgiving parades in the United States of America. The military men march for the entire dress parade in order to display the country’s bravery and military strength. The parade lifts the morale and the feeling of patriotism in spectators. Thanksgiving Day parades have been held on Thanksgiving in New York City from the Upper West Side to Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square each year since 1924, and they are televised nationally by NBC. Parade floats will all participate in themed themes, Broadway musical performances, balloons of cartoon characters, TV personalities, and marching bands from high schools. All in all, this is one of the most spectacular parades in the United States of America.
Decorations
As it is a time of festivity and celebrations, the people in the United States of America decorate their homes and workplaces as a part of traditions. Americans take pride in displaying their creativity for the house decor and make multiple adjustments for the same. To name a few, people usually decorate their houses with wreaths, fresh and dried flowers. Furthermore, they give a whole new look to their interiors.
Sending greetings to loved ones
It is that time of the year when people send love and warm wishes to their friends and families. In modern-day Thanksgiving, people even purchase gifts for their loved ones and thank them for their contribution to nourishing the beautiful life.
So what are you planning for your loved ones!
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
