Thanksgiving festival is coming close and with it comes the holiday celebrations that announce the beginning of the Christmas fiesta. Thanksgiving is observed on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States.
2009 thanksgiving falls on 26th November. It is a day commemorating the harvest festival that was celebrated by the Pilgrim Fathers in 1621. Thanksgiving day is all about family togetherness with home and customs taking the center stage. In the modern day celebrations of thanksgiving one can enjoy the parades, pageants, parties and the large gatherings of friends and family at dinner. But when we talk about the thanksgiving traditions and customs then we need to look a bit more closely at this special thanksgiving festival.
Thanksgiving Dinner
For most of us, thanksgiving dinner is about the turkey. But the thanksgiving traditions state that the first feast of thanksgiving contained dishes like boiled turkey, fruits, vegetables, corn, along with fish, which was packed in salt, and meat that was smoke cured over fires. The pilgrims invited their neighbors for dinner along with Native Americans and Indians. Today also the thanksgiving is celebrated on similar lines as everyone comes together to offer their gratitude for different things.
Here are some thanksgiving customs and traditions that are highly popular today as well.
Thanksgiving with Family and Friends
There are thanksgiving decorations, mouthwatering cuisine, yet the most important thing is to spend the day with your family and close friends. It is a holiday and everyone enjoys spending time with each other.
The Autumn Harvest
The traditions of thanksgiving are closely related to the autumn harvest celebrations. The first autumn harvest was held in 1621 as the pilgrims shared it with the Native Americans as they had taught the colonists to plant crops. Without the help of the Native Americans the Pilgrims couldn’t have survived the harsh winter climate. Along with the different vegetables and fruits turkey was also a part of the pilgrim food. However unlike modern thanksgiving dinner pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, corn and mashed potatoes were not served during thanksgiving. Desserts were also not a part of the traditional autumn harvest. Instead historians believe that seafood and wild game were the main dishes. In the essence of it, autumn harvest is all about expressing gratitude by praising the Almighty.
Offering Prayers
The Thanksgiving Day is all about offering prayers to the Almighty and asking for his blessings. It is believed that on this day we should show our gratitude for the food we eat and the shelter that is above our head. By offering prayers to the God we are thanking him for everything that it has done to make the year prosperous. The entire family together offers the thanksgiving prayers.
Thanksgiving Turkey
The custom of thanksgiving turkey has its origin in the 1620. The pilgrims started from Mayflower to the New world that is currently known as Plymouth, Massachusetts. As the colonist starting looking over for food they met with the Northeastern Native Americans who were known for hunting large fowl. The Colonist was surprised to see wild turkeys similar to the ones they brought from England. Soon the New World Pilgrims were cross breeding both stocks of Turkey. It is said that the roast turkey was the main food in the first thanksgiving dinner that was held in 1621. Today also eating at least one dish made of turkey is compulsory for a thanksgiving dinner.
