Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday which is observed all over the world, majorly in the countries United States, Canada, Liberia, The Netherlands, Philippines, Grenada, Australia, UK, Germany, Japan and many others. It is celebrated as a day of giving thanks for all the blessings received in the form of harvest. In Canada, Thanksgiving Day is observed in the month of October around second Monday and in the United States, it is observed in the month of November around fourth Thursday.
The tradition of Thanksgiving began in the early 17th century and it was first observed by George Washington on 26th November 1789. In the year 1941, the Federal legislation acclaimed the 4th Thursday of November every year to be celebrated as Thanksgiving Day. And this year we have observed the Thanksgiving Day on 10th October in Canada and will be observing on 24th November in U.S. Next year, that is in the year 2017, the Thanksgiving Day will be observed on October 9 (Canada) and on 23rd November (U.S.).
The Thanksgiving Day is observed in different places around the world on different dates but is a major national holiday in Canada and the United States. This day does have the historical roots associated with it in terms of cultural as well as religious traditions, yet it is also being celebrated in a secular manner too. On this day, special thanksgiving ceremonies are carried off by the people around and in all the religions of the harvest time. The roots of the Thanksgiving Day associates well with the English traditions dating back to the time of Protestant Reformation despite the fact the harvest in the New England occurs well before.
Thanksgiving Day is a special day of celebration for the families and friends get-together for a special meal. It is just like the festival of Vaisakhi for the Indians which people observes every year on 13th April. The meal on the auspicious day of Thanksgiving Day includes pumpkin pie, turkey, vegetables, stuffing, gravy, potatoes and cranberry sauce. It is a day of thanks for a number of people to what all they have. Around the celebration time, parades are held in and around the towns and cities. Even few of the festivities mark the beginning of the shopping season for Christmas. Also, some people enjoy having a holiday time for four days to visit their distant relatives and friends.
On the day of Thanksgiving, all the organizations, government offices, schools and businesses are closed. Even the businesses and offices allow their employees to have a fun time on a four-day weekend. Even the public transport system doesn’t operate according to their regular timetables. The celebration of the Thanksgiving Day in U.S. and Canada makes it one of the busiest traveling periods. The busy football games, seasonal parades cause traffic disruptions, overcrowding, and congestion.
The Thanksgiving Day precedes Black Friday. And it is significantly for giving Thanks to the food which is being collected after the harvest season. Though the date for the Thanksgiving Day changes annually, yet it falls on the fourth Thursday of November itself in the United States. It is a time to feel gratitude for everything we have in our lives. It is a day of lavish feasts, festivities and family reunions. This day is celebrated with great enthusiasm when people exchange gifts and spends quality time with each other.
WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
