Every year, on the 4th Thursday of November, Thanksgiving Day, an American holiday is celebrated all across the US. This year, Thanksgiving Day will be celebrated on 28th November.
This day was originated from harvest festivals that were brought to New England by the Pilgrims who came from England in the early 1600s. This day is also known as American Thanksgiving in order to differentiate it from the Canadian holiday of the same name.
Why is Thanksgiving Day celebrated in US?
Thanksgiving is celebrated in the United States in order to thank for life's blessings. This day also commemorates the first harvest celebrated by the Pilgrims and Wampanoag people in 1621. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln had declared this day as a national holiday as he aimed to emphasize on the power of gratitude even in times of hardship.
On this day, all the loved ones come together, have dinner together and express their gratitude. People share what they’re thankful for with each other.
On this day, the special dinner includes food item associated with New England harvest celebrations. This involves turkey, potatoes, squash, corn, green beans, cranberries and pumpkin pie.
However, this menu has been expanded over the years and now it includes special dishes from other regions of the United States like pecan pie and wild rice stuffing as well.
On this day, the charitable organizations offer thanksgiving dinner to the poor, attend religious services, watch or participate in parades and watch or play football.
Most of the communities have annual food drives that collect packaged and canned foods. Corporations sponsor charitable distributions of foods and Thanksgiving dinners. The Salvation Army bring volunteers to serve the Thanksgiving dinners to several people in different locales.
This day also marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season. The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday. It is often considered to be the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States. This year, Thanksgiving Day is on 28th November, following which Black Friday is on 29th November.