What is the purpose of Thanksgiving?

 


Thanksgiving is a well-known American holiday that is observed annually. It is most commonly linked to the United States, where it is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.

But what is the purpose of Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving was originally a harvest festival, but it is now observed more widely as a day to express gratitude for material blessings. Thanksgiving Day is observed in Canada on the second Monday in October, despite the fact that it is most often associated with the United States. In the meantime, comparable holidays are observed in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Netherlands.

Thanksgiving's beginnings

The First Thanksgiving, also known as the Thanksgiving of 1621, is almost always cited as the origin of Thanksgiving in the United States. The Pilgrim Fathers, a group of European settlers from the Plymouth Colony, which is now a part of Massachusetts, commemorated it.

The Pilgrims hosted a lavish three-day feast to commemorate their first harvest in the New World, and both Pilgrims and Native Americans took part. It is thought that the Pilgrims were influenced by similar customs they had seen in Europe to act in this way.

The colonies that followed set aside specific days for prayer and thanksgiving to God for their blessings. Thanks to a declaration from George Washington, Thanksgiving became a federal holiday in 1789. Thanksgiving was made a federal holiday by Abraham Lincoln on the fourth Thursday of November 1863.



How Thanksgiving is celebrated Today

The Thanksgiving holiday is now largely focused on eating a substantial meal, which almost always includes turkey, in the United States. Thanksgiving is sometimes jokingly referred to as "Turkey Day" because it is estimated that between 85 and 91 percent of Americans eat turkey on that day. Other traditional Thanksgiving fare includes cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie.



Thanksgiving Day is typically spent by Americans with their families or groups of friends as they give thanks for the many blessings they consider themselves fortunate to have in their lives. Because many people attend religious services or pray before meals, there is occasionally a religious element to this.

Canadian Thanksgiving customs

Thanksgiving celebrations in Canada and the United States share many similarities despite taking place on different days. Again, turkey is a key component of the main Thanksgiving meal, and the Canadian Football League typically hosts two games that are broadcast on national television.



Other countries that celebrate Thanksgiving

Outside of North America, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland host Erntedankfest, also referred to as "The Harvest Festival of Thanks." In contrast to American holidays, this one typically emphasizes smaller religious celebrations over substantial feasts. The creation of food displays, which are frequently used to decorate churches and other structures, is one of the most notable aspects of this particular holiday, aside from religious services.

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving

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