Roast turkey, parades and long weekends: Thanksgiving is celebrated in the US. Thanksgiving Day: the history of the holiday, its traditions and symbols
Thanksgiving Day is celebrated only in two countries - the USA and Canada, but the celebration is known all over the world. Moreover, Americans have a special attitude towards it: they love this holiday so much that the actions of many films and TV shows shot in Hollywood at least partially take place on a day when it is customary to thank God and loved ones for all the good things.
What date is Thanksgiving
By the way, Americans and Canadians celebrate this celebration at different times. So, it is customary for US citizens to say "thank you" in November, namely on the fourth Thursday of the last autumn month, and for Canadians - on the second Monday of October.
Thus, in 2018, the long-awaited holiday will be celebrated in the United States on November 22, and in neighboring Canada on October 8.
history of the holiday
The origin of the holiday is associated with a group of English Puritan Protestants who, in September 1620, fleeing religious persecution in their homeland, sailed on the Mayflower ship to the New World. After two months of sailing, their ship landed on the east coast of America (New England).
They descended on the territory of the present state of Massachusetts, where it was decided to set up the first camp. However, the New World was not merciful to the settlers: difficulties in finding food, the harsh local climate, unknown diseases - all this served as an aid to the deterioration of living conditions. More than half of the colonists became seriously ill and died on the new continent in the first winter from hunger and want.
The surviving Puritans created Plymouth Colony, the oldest English settlement in America, and little by little struck up friendly relations with the local natives. American Indians played a decisive role in their survival, gladly responded to the requests of new neighbors, helped to establish a life and manage the household.
Thanks to the Indians, the settlers learned to cultivate the land, grow pumpkins, sow beans and corn, and hunt wild turkeys. By the way, the outsiders received the recipe for the famous maple syrup from the Indians.
An unexpectedly rich harvest in the fall of 1621 was the colonists' reward for their efforts. And since the first settlers were deeply religious Christians, they decided to give thanks to the Lord for his mercy. The Indians of the tribe were invited to the celebration, which helped them stay alive.
For a long time, Thanksgiving was an unofficial holiday in New England and was celebrated on an occasional basis.
After the independence of the United States in 1776, the young country had to hastily acquire its own traditions and holidays. Thanksgiving Day in the United States became a public holiday in 1789 with the light hand of the first president, George Washington. He signed a decree on the celebration of Thanksgiving Day on November 26th of each year.
And yet, the holiday gained nationwide recognition and love only in 1864, when on that day Abraham Lincoln called on the troops of the North and South to put an end to hostilities and, having shared a common table and food, come to a peaceful solution to the issue. A year later, the civil war came to an end, and it was decided to celebrate Thanksgiving Day on the last Thursday of every November. In 1941, this date was legally approved.
Thanksgiving Traditions
It is customary for US citizens to spend a holiday in the circle of relatives and closest friends. On this day, Americans usually gather for a family holiday dinner, which is held in the home of the oldest members of the family.
At the same time, dishes such as baked turkey in cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie are without fail on the table; Thanksgiving is not complete without sweet potatoes. According to historians, the first settlers ate the same at a feast with the Indians. The celebration also has its own traditional drink - apple cider.
By the way, before starting a meal, all family members, as a rule, thank God and each other for all the good things that have happened to them over the past year.
Another Thanksgiving tradition is to pardon the turkey. This ceremony is usually held on the lawn of the White House on the eve of the celebration. On it, as usual, in addition to the President of the United States, there are two more turkeys: the main hero of the occasion is the “national turkey” and its understudy is the “vice turkey” (in case something happens to the first bird). During the ceremony, the American leader traditionally reads out a decree pardoning the country's main turkey (her deputy, as a rule, is also left alive), and then the lucky woman is sent to the zoo, where she lives until she dies a natural death.
By the way, "national turkey" and "vice turkey" are chosen by ordinary Americans. To do this, the White House holds a special vote every year, during which those who wish are invited to choose the best bird from 30 feathered candidates.
In addition, on the eve of Thanksgiving, it is customary to do good deeds. In particular, the distribution of free lunches is very popular among philanthropists: in this way, they seek to give the needy a sense of celebration. Moreover, sometimes the president himself distributes plates of food to the homeless and the poor.
Costumed parades are also traditional on this festive November day. So, the parade organized by Macy's department store in New York is especially popular. This grand procession runs from Central Park to 34th Street (Manhattan), where the famous Macy's is located, which has long become one of the city's attractions. At the same time, the parade participants, among whom there are usually quite a few celebrities, carry huge inflatable figures of characters from popular cartoons and comic book characters. Huge crowds of locals and tourists always gather to watch this action.
In addition, on the fourth Thursday of the last autumn month in the United States, as a rule, there is a celebratory football game. Therefore, many American men spend some part of Thanksgiving in front of the TV, rooting for their favorite team.
It is worth noting the fact that Thanksgiving usually opens the New Year period, when Americans begin to actively prepare for Christmas and the New Year. The fact is that immediately after the holiday in the United States comes "Black Friday" and pre-Christmas sales start.
Thanksgiving Day is a public holiday in the United States celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. In 2012, it falls on November 22. This is one of the most popular holidays in the country.
The very idea of celebrating autumn and the end of the harvest dates back to ancient times. However, for Americans, the holiday traces its history back to the first settlers who arrived from England to America at the end of 1620 after a two-month voyage on the ship Mayflower ("May Flower"). The passengers, a group of English pilgrims fleeing religious persecution in their homeland, embarked on such a dangerous journey in the hope of establishing a colony in the New World, where they could finally find the freedom they longed for.
The first year in the new place was very harsh. The settlers had to endure hunger, cold, hardships and illnesses. After a harsh winter during which about half of the settlers died, with the help of their Indian neighbors, they learned to grow corn and other crops adapted to local conditions, to distinguish edible plants from poisonous ones, to find drinking water springs, hunting trails and fishing grounds. In the autumn of 1621, the colonists gathered a good harvest, for which they decided to thank the Lord by arranging a festive treat. The Indians who helped the colonists were invited to the holiday, which lasted three days.
It was the first Thanksgiving. It is believed that this holiday originated from the European tradition of celebrating Harvest Day. In subsequent years, the colonists held a celebration only with a good harvest, and then from time to time. Over time, the holiday has lost its religious significance.
In different states, the holiday was celebrated on different days, and then began to coincide with military victories.
For a long time, the holiday was unofficial in New England. The first official Thanksgiving Day was declared in 1777 by the Continental Congress, which established December 18, 1777 as Thanksgiving Day.
In 1789, the first President of the United States, George Washington, proclaimed this holiday a national event and, at the request of Congress, set the date - November 26, Thursday. But Thanksgiving Day became a fully national holiday in 1863, during the Civil War, when President Abraham Lincoln announced that henceforth the last Thursday in November would be celebrated as Thanksgiving Day. True, already in 1865, the holiday was celebrated on the first Thursday of November - as US President Andrew Johnson proclaimed. In 1869, President Ulysses Grant chose the third Thursday for Thanksgiving. In other years, Thanksgiving Day was celebrated on the last Thursday of November.
In 1939-1941, to extend the Christmas shopping season, President Franklin Roosevelt moved the holiday to the penultimate Thursday in November. But the transfer caused a split among the states - 23 states celebrated Thanksgiving Day on the last Thursday of November, the other 23 states on the penultimate Thursday. The rest of the states have declared both Thursdays holidays. After two years of confusion and complaints, on December 26, 1941, US President Roosevelt signed a law establishing Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday of November. The holiday is still celebrated today.
Over the years of its existence, the holiday has a number of traditions that Americans sacredly keep and observe. Thanksgiving is usually celebrated in the house of the elder of the family in the circle of relatives. Relatives and friends from all over the country come to it to sit at a common table laden with traditional treats. This is certainly a turkey (in various versions of its preparation), sweet potatoes yams with whipped flower sauce, cranberry sauce, crouton cubes stuffing with spices, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie and gravy - what, according to historians, was on the tables of the colonists in the distant XVII century.
The house is decorated with autumn attributes - bouquets of orange, gold, brown chrysanthemums and branches with berries, which are identified with the rich harvest of this year.
Before starting a meal, whether in the family circle or among friends, it is customary to give thanks for these gifts, including the joy of meeting on the occasion of the holiday. If someone is left without a festive dinner, then charitable organizations will invite him. The president himself on this day helps to feed the homeless, the poor and the elderly, putting generous portions on their plates. The head of state should show the country an example of charity.
Another tradition of the holiday is a solemn one, which is held in the White House on the eve of the holiday. In accordance with this tradition, at least one turkey must avoid the fate of being on the festive table.
The tradition of honoring the Thanksgiving turkey, according to the most common version, began in 1947, when the National Turkey Federation (National Turkey Federation) first gave the bird to US President Harry Truman. However, until 1989, presidential turkeys were sent to the festive table of the head of state, and only in 1963, President John F. Kennedy broke the tradition and left alive the bird received as a gift.
The first official turkey pardon ceremony was held by George W. Bush in 1989. Every year since then, the turkey and its "understudy" (the understudy is chosen in case something suddenly happens to the first bird before the ceremony) get rid of the prospect of being roasted and go to one of the children's parks.
Parades are another attribute of the holiday, mostly costumed - in the clothes of the 17th century and the costumes of the Indians. The most famous parade is held annually in New York. It has been organized by Macy's, the world's largest department store chain, since the 1920s. The main attraction of the parade are huge inflatable toys (cartoon characters, fairy tales and TV shows) that are carried from Central Park to the entrance to the department store (between the Seventh Broadway) The parade is televised and fireworks display over the East River, which separates New York from Brooklyn, in the evening.
There is also a tradition of writing Thanksgiving songs. One of the relatively new Thanksgiving traditions is watching the National Football League (NFL) game.
After Thanksgiving, traditional pre-Christmas sales begin to work across America.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Thanksgiving is celebrated in America since 1863.
Thanksgiving Day: the history of the holiday among Americans is rooted in the distant past. The holiday of gratitude was first celebrated 400 years ago and is associated with the development of new lands. The idea of celebrating the end of the harvest arose on December 26, 1620, when, after a difficult two-month voyage, a ship finally arrived on the American coast. Mayflower(May flower).
On this ship were English pilgrims fleeing religious persecution. They set off on such a dangerous journey to settle in the New World and find their long-awaited freedom there. The unfamiliar shore on which they landed was named by them New England, in honor of their abandoned homeland.
Before landing on an unknown land, the Mayflower Agreement was signed. American historians attach great historical significance to it - as the beginning of free self-government, a manifestation of inner freedom. The first year in a foreign land turned out to be very difficult for the settlers - after all, they arrived late and could not reap a rich harvest. Winter came, frost hit and the pilgrims suffered from hunger and disasters. About half of them died that winter.
And those who survived until spring became friends with the Iroquois Indians, who taught them how to grow pumpkins, corn, catch wild turkeys, find edible plants, fishing spots and drinking water springs.
When autumn came, the colonists gathered their first rich harvest of pumpkins, corn, and beans. In honor of this, they organized a great celebration and invited the local leader and their new Indian friends there. The feast dragged on for several days. Everyone enjoyed roast turkey, as well as pumpkin, corn, sweet potato dishes.
The second year turned out to be less generous for the harvest, and the third was completely dry, so the governor of the pilgrims, William Bradford, urged the settlers to pray and fast on their appointed day. Soon after, it began to rain. The Pilgrims decided to celebrate such a wonderful event, and Thanksgiving Day was established.
How did the holiday become official?
For a long time, the holiday was not official. It was not until 1777 that the Continental Congress declared the official celebration of the national Thanksgiving Day. US President George Washington in 1789 declared this holiday a national one and set the date - Thursday, November 26th.
But the holiday was finally established in 1863, during the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln then announced that from now on, Thanksgiving Day will be celebrated every fourth Thursday in November.
Turkey pardon
Another tradition that is sacredly revered on this day is the solemn ceremony of pardoning a turkey. It has been taking place in the White House since 1947. Following this tradition, the turkey must avoid the sad fate of being slaughtered and cooked for the festive table.
This tradition became an obligatory annual ceremony in 1989, under George W. Bush, but the National Pardon of the turkey acquired a special scope under Bush Jr., when turkeys even began to be transported by first-class aircraft and settled in luxury hotels. Shortly before the pardon ceremony, thirty candidates are selected, for whom there is a universal vote on the White House website. Birds are specially prepared for an honorable mission - they are well fed, taught not to be afraid of strangers.
On the eve of Thanksgiving, the American president is presented with two selected turkeys at a solemn ceremony, the first of which will be solemnly pardoned, and the second will decorate a pompous dinner at the White House.
The role of the "pardoned" turkey is also to replace the number 1 bird in case of illness or sudden death. During the ceremony, the president reads out the order and carefully strokes the chosen bird. She is sent to the zoo and there she quietly lives to old age.
United States President Barack Obama, accompanied by his daughters Malia and Sasha, in 2009 for the first time took part in the pardon of a turkey. A turkey named Courage (Courage) escaped the fate of being eaten.
After the ceremony, the pardoned bird was sent to Disneyland, California. On Thanksgiving Day, the chosen turkey became the "grand marshal" of the holiday parade there, and after the holiday ended, she was left in Disneyland for life.
Modern traditions of celebration
For Thanksgiving in America, songs have been written for centuries. During the holiday, numerous costumed parades are held, in which people in 17th-century costumes and national Indian clothes take part.
Currently, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the USA. on the fourth Thursday of November. For a festive dinner, according to tradition, family members and friends gather - several generations in the house of an older relative. This is a family holiday when relatives and friends come together to sit at the table and treat themselves to traditional holiday treats - the same turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie. Numerous charitable organizations invite the disadvantaged who are left without a festive dinner on this day.
The President of the United States also helps feed the elderly and the poor by putting generous portions of treats on their plates. After all, the head of state should show his citizens an example of charity.
On this solemn day, they gather to thank fate for all the good things in life. According to tradition, children delight older family members with their prepared performances. The main dish of the holiday is the turkey, which on this day always occupies a central place on the festive table.
Each country has its own traditions and reasons for celebrating especially important events in history. For Americans, Thanksgiving has become the embodiment of several ideas at once: gratitude to God for what he gives to people, to our neighbor for his love, friendship and support, and to the ancestors who have come a long thorny path that shaped the state as we see it to this day. . Today we will learn the most interesting facts and traditions of celebrating Thanksgiving Day in 2018, which will help us become more erudite and loyal to a foreign culture.
When is Thanksgiving in 2018
As this holiday developed, various confusions occurred that divided the entire American society into three camps: some Americans celebrated this holiday on the last Sunday of November, some on the last Saturday, and some simply made both of these days holidays (see in 2018) . But over time, all issues were resolved. It was decided to move the well-known and revered holiday to the fourth Thursday of November, and this is the date Americans are waiting for to start celebrating Thanksgiving. In this way, In 2018, this holiday falls on November 22(for Thursday).
history of the holiday
It should be noted that Thanksgiving Day is one of the oldest holidays in American culture. For the first time it was noted back in 1641 by the colonists who sailed to the territory of America. A ship with new settlers moored on the shores of an as yet unexplored continent in late autumn. Diseases and hunger that happened to the passengers of the ship severely crippled the health of some and claimed the lives of others. Therefore, the people who arrived on the new earth were exhausted and fell into despair at the sight of a completely uncivilized continent. The first winter in America was especially severe for them. Of the small number of arrivals, there were very few people who did not understand at all how to properly grow crops on the rocky land of the new continent. Then the Indians came to their aid - the local population, who taught them how to properly cultivate various crops, build houses and be treated with local plants. 
The first Thanksgiving, which is traditionally celebrated at the end of autumn, when the entire harvest is ripe and the bins are full of supplies, the locals celebrated together with the colonialists at the same table. Now the holiday has lost its former meaning. From now on Thanksgiving is family celebration, which is designed to unite people of all generations for the sake of common memory and gratitude to each other for the care, love and respect provided.
Celebration traditions
Traditionally, this holiday is celebrated in the United States and Canada. According to tradition, the family gathers in full force to visit the eldest representative of the family, everyone exchanges gifts and dine on a festive turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. Starting the next day in the US, the period of sales and pre-Christmas turmoil begins, which continues until the New Year.
How Thanksgiving Day 2018 is celebrated in the USA - video
See also: traditions of celebrating the city, the date of the holiday.
Thanksgiving Day - a national holiday in the United States and Canada, was originally invented to express gratitude to God for the harvest. Now, the motive of the holiday is the expression of gratitude to relatives and friends. Despite the fact that Thanksgiving is a religious holiday, it is celebrated by many people regardless of their religious and cultural beliefs.
When is Thanksgiving celebrated?
In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October, and in the US on the last Thursday in November. There are similar holidays all over the world, but they have different names and are held on different days. In the USA, this holiday is very popular, and it is believed that only turkeys do not celebrate it.
The first Thanksgiving in America was held in Plymouth in 1621. The holiday was organized by pilgrims who arrived from Europe, together with invited local Indians who helped them survive in unfamiliar conditions. Since the 1660s, the holiday has been held annually.
It is believed that Sarah Joseph Hale, author of the famous American song "Mary Had a Little Lamb", convinced Abraham Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. Since 1863, the 16th President has declared the last Thursday of November to be Thanksgiving.
The traditional Thanksgiving dish is the turkey. About 280 million turkeys are consumed annually on this day in the United States. According to tradition, on the eve of Thanksgiving, the President of the United States pardons one of the turkeys, which guarantees the bird to spend the rest of his life in peace and not end up on the festive table.
The Friday after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. The famous Christmas sales start from this day.
