Thanksgiving Day in United States of America

Thanksgiving Day in United States of America

Psalm 100:4 Enter His gates with Thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name

If there is one day in a year when all Americans stay home with their families and feast on a big meal, that is Thanksgiving day. Thanksgiving truly is a special day. When we think of Thanksgiving, the season of Fall comes to mind when the leaves have changed into beautiful colors of oranges, red, and yellow, and are continuing to fall from the trees. We also think of huge baked turkeys, visiting family or friends for Thanksgiving dinner, and watching the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade either in person in New York City or on television, and also for some sports fans to watch the American Football game that evening.

The American Thanksgiving holiday began as a feast in the early days of the American colonies almost 400 years ago. In 1620, a boat filled with more than 100 people sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from England to settle in North America in the new world. The pilgrims settled in, what is now, the state of Massachusetts, and their first winter in the New World was difficult. They had arrived too late to grow any crops and without fresh food, half the colonists died from diseases which they contracted on the voyage from England.

The following spring the Native Americans/Red Indians became friendly with the pilgrims and taught them how to grow corn, something the colonists never had done before. They showed them how to grow other crops as well in the unfamiliar soil, and how to hunt and fish. In the autumn of 1621, plentiful crops of corn, barley, beans and pumpkins were harvested. The colonists had much to be thankful for, so a feast was planned. They invited the local Indian chief and 90 Indians. The Indians brought deer to roast, along with turkeys and other wild game offered by the colonists. The colonists also learned how to cook cranberries and different kinds of corn and squash dishes from the Indians. And this is how the first Thanksgiving day was celebrated in 1621.

In the following years, many of the original colonists celebrated the autumn harvest with a feast of thanks to Almighty God. After the United States became an independent country, Congress recommended one day every year where the whole nation could celebrate thanksgiving. George Washington suggested the date November 26 as thanksgiving Day and then in 1863, at the end of the long civil war, Abraham Lincoln asked all Americans to set aside the last Thursday in November as the thanksgiving day.

Thanksgiving day is celebrated with lots of fervour and merry-making in America. One of the important things about Thanksgiving is, spending time with family and loved ones. People travel by car, train or aeroplanes from far off places to meet their loved ones. Thanksgiving time is the busiest travel time of the year.

The following Friday after Thanksgiving is famously known as “BLACK FRIDAY”. This is so because of the standard accounting practice of writing profits in black. The ongoing festive spirit and shopping spree help the shopkeepers to register maximum sales and profits. The country witnesses maximum sales volume on the very next day and the entire atmosphere during this time is happy and people begin to get into the holiday mood, and this is also the official beginning of the Christmas season.

Apart from feasting and watching the parade or a football game, Thanksgiving Day is more than a day of fond memories, parades, football, and special dinners. It is also a day for giving thanks. On Thanksgiving Day we are reminded of the bounty of treasures that is are a part of our lives. We spend a few moments before Thanksgiving dinner to give thanks for the richness of our lives and for our wonderful family and friends. For too many people, however, the meaning of Thanksgiving ends with spending a few moments of giving thanks at the dinner table. The true meaning of Thanksgiving, however, should not end after a prayer or a few seconds of meditation devoted to thanks. The holiday of Thanksgiving has broader significance. Thanksgiving is also a call to action. People who are in retired homes, in hospital beds and in prisons for years and years, get very lonely at this time of the year. They feel isolated and depressed and such holidays bring out emotional pain and agony in them. For some people, this time can be difficult if they have lost their family members. So helping such people or spending some time with them is a wonderful way to celebrate the day and make them feel that they are not alone in their sorrow. Many generous people use thanksgiving as an opportunity to help the less fortunate. Some volunteer to serve food at homeless shelters, soup kitchens and some others donate money to the poor and needy.

It is important for us to remember that the word thanksgiving is composed of two words: thanks and giving. Through the holiday of Thanksgiving, we are reminded to give thanks and to share and give. The holiday reminds us to share our economic and material wealth and to share also our time and talents with other people who could use our help. In terms of thought and deed, this holiday gives us an enriched perspective on the abundance in our lives.

Wish all family and friends in America a very Happy Thanksgiving and Turkey day.

            Jessie Pinto D’sa