Thanksgiving Day is the most truly American of the national Holidays in the United States
and is most closely connected with the earliest history of the country.In 1620, the settlers,
or Pilgrims, they sailed to America on the May flower, seeking a place where they could
have freedom of worship. After a tempestuous two-month voyage they landed at in icy
November, what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. During their first winter, over half of
the settlers died of starvation or epidemics. Those who survived began sowing in the first
spring. All summer long they waited for the harvests with great anxiety, knowing that their
lives and the future existence of the colony depended on the coming harvest. Finally the
fields produced a yield rich beyond expectations. And therefore it was decided that a day
of thanksgiving to the Lord be fixed. Years later, President of the United States proclaimed
the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day every year. The celebration of
Thanksgiving Day has been observed on that date until today. The pattern of the Thanksgiving
celebration has never changed through the years. The big family dinner is planned months
ahead. On the dinner table, people will find apples, oranges, chestnuts, walnuts and grapes.
There will be plum pudding, mince pie, other varieties of food and cranberry juice and
squash. The best and most attractive among them are roast turkey and pumpkin pie. They
have been the most traditional and favorite food on Thanksgiving Day throughout the years.
Everyone agrees the dinner must be built around roast turkey stuffed with a bread dressing
to absorb the tasty juices as it roasts. But as cooking varies with families and with the regions
where one lives, it is not easy to get a consensus on the precise kind of stuffing for the royal
bird. Thanksgiving today is, in every sense, a national annual holiday on which Americans
of all faiths and backgrounds join in to express their thanks for the year' s bounty and
reverently ask for continued blessings. Thanksgiving is a simple holiday. There are two
basic traditions: eating and giving thanks. Of course, many people watch football on TV
or go to the movies on Thanksgiving, but there aren't any fireworks. There aren't presents.
There isn't even a tree to decorate.People usually spend Thanksgiving with their friends
and family. Thanksgiving is also a good time to think about those people who are less
fortunate. Many people spend Thanksgiving at shelters for homeless people. They
volunteer to help the families that would be hungry on Thanksgiving.