Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is not complete without a Turkey for most Americans.  The main dish on Thanksgiving Day is ?Turkey?.  So, some call Thanksgiving Day as ‘Turkey Day.’  On Thanksgiving Day, Americans give thanks for the blessings of the past year. They feast, celebrate, and play games.

The first thanksgiving feast was celebrated for three days in the fall of 1621, at the end of the harvest by the Pilgrims.  George Washington is the first president to proclaim the first ‘National Day of Thanksgiving’ in 1789.  Finally, after a 40-year campaign of writing editorials and letters to governors and presidents, Sarah Josepha Hale’s obsession became a reality when, in 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving. 

Thanksgiving Day is celebrated with family and about 40 million people travel state to state to celebrate Thanksgiving Day, which creates jam in the airports and roads. 

Normally private offices are closed on Thursday and Friday, whereas, most of the Government offices are open on Friday.  Many stores have massive discount sale day after Thanksgiving and it is called black Friday.  Many people camp out as early as 3am  before the store opens to buy the special discounted and limited items.

Pumpkin pie is one of the desserts eaten on Thanksgiving Day.  Keeping pumpkin and turkey in mind, I decided to carve a pumpkin.  Having a shortfall of pumpkin this year, I was not able to find any pumpkin.  Not knowing what to carve for Thanksgiving without a pumpkin, finally, the following idea came to my mind.  First thing came to my mind was carrots and orange, and I decided to create my own Turkey!!

I have used one orange, 12 baby carrots, two raspberries, one garlic clove, and toothpicks.

First I cut one baby carrot into three small circles. To one of the circle, using a toothpick I attached a piece of garlic clove to form a beak and using a marker, I drew eyes on the carrot, right above the beak.  I attached a piece of raspberry using a toothpick, right below the circle face that slides on the neck to represent the wattle.  Using a toothpick, I attached seven baby carrots to form a tail feather, which looks like a fan, and one carrot in the front to form a neck.  I attached two carrots to form leg and two circles that I had cut and kept aside to represent feet.  Finally, I attached the face to the neck and one raspberry to top of the circled face to make a hat.

Wishing all of you Happy Thanksgiving.

Author: Queenie Mendonca- USA