Harden Elkington
Thanksgiving is a religious day of thanks celebrated in many countries around the world over different occasions.
Thanksgiving is celebrated every year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States.
The history of thanksgiving dates back to ancient times; thanksgiving was celebrated by the early American civilizations since their immigration to America .
The first thanksgiving feast was celebrated by the pilgrims in 1621 after they survived a harsh winter. They thanked God for their safety and abundance of food provisions.
Unfortunately, due to harsh conditions over the past winter – the pilgrims experienced high death rates and were constantly fighting off attacks from local Native Americans – there was a lack of food for this thanksgiving.
The pilgrims’ thanksgiving celebration began with a prayer led by their leader, Governor William Bradford. He prayed for the success and good health of everyone in the new colony.
Then they slaughtered two deer that were raised especially for this feast and boiled them with garlic, fennel, leeks, and wine.
How do thanksgivings work?
Other thanksgivings around this time included thanksgivings to celebrate anniversaries of the colony and thanksgivings for battles fought against local Native American tribes.
Also, thanksgivings were not always held on the same day. Sometimes thanksgivings were celebrated in December and sometimes thanksgivings were held as late as November! (hmm what does this mean?)
How was thanksgiving a tradition founded?
After the thanksgiving feast in 1621, thanksgivings continued to be held by different colonies and states throughout American history.
In 1789 George Washington proclaimed November 26th a day of thanks after winning a battle against American Indian tribes at Fort Necessity near a river that was named in his honor.
In 1863 US president Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday for the efforts of the union during the American Civil War.
While Thanksgiving is always held on different days, what do people normally celebrate thanksgiving for?
Today thanksgivings are typically celebrated for giving thanks to God and celebrating abundance. Also, thanksgivings are commonly used to make thanks to the people and nations that have helped us or protected us in some way.
How is thanksgiving celebrated differently in Canada?
Thanksgivings in Canada are still seen as thanks to God for bringing safety and abundance.
Although thanksgivings in Canada no longer focus on thanks to God, thanksgivings in Canada still carry some religious backgrounds that originate from thanks to God.
Canadians celebrate thanksgiving by attending thanksgiving dinners with their families where thanksgiving meals are served.
These thanksgiving meals include thanksgiving main dishes, side dishes of green beans or peas, tart cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.
What about thanksgivings for thanksgiving feasts?
In Canada, thanksgiving is a celebration of thanks held on the second Monday in October, which comes from an autumn harvest thanksgiving tradition brought by English settlers during New France colonization.
In 1664 thanksgiving feasts were held to celebrate renovations made to the Notre-Dame de Québec Cathedral.
In the United States Thanksgiving is a celebration of thanks held on the fourth Thursday in November, which comes from a thanksgiving tradition started by Abraham Lincoln as part of the Civil War thanksgiving proclamation.
In 1939 Franklin D. Roosevelt declared that thanksgiving be held on the fourth Thursday in November instead of the traditional thanksgiving date which was the last Thursday of thanksgiving.
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What is the thanksgiving celebration like today?
Thanksgivings are no longer celebrated as religious events, but thanksgivings still carry some religious backgrounds that originate from thanks to God for safety and abundance.
Thanksgiving is now a national holiday for Canadians and Americans that allows them to celebrate with their families.
Thanksgiving feasts are usually celebrated in thanksgiving dinners with family members where turkey, ham, or roast beef is the main dish of the meal.
Other Thanksgiving meals include other dishes such as stuffing, sweet potatoes, side dishes of green beans or peas, tart cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.
Thanksgiving is a holiday that brings people from all over the world together in celebration.
You can never know when you will have your next family gathering so take time to celebrate with those who are near and dear to you, but also enjoy this day of thanksgiving with strangers!
