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.