In the year Thanksgiving is a time to come together with family and friends, share delicious meals, reflect on blessings. It can be a foreign holiday for the people who are experiencing their first Thanksgiving by traveling to the US on this day. Here is a complete guide about what Thanksgiving is, when it will be celebrated, most importantly how to celebrate it, and what food is eaten on Thanksgiving. Let’s get started:
What is Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving is celebrated in the month of November to give thanks for the blessings of the year by doing a large celebration feast and get-together. With volunteering, American football, parades, and most important a large turkey dinner the holiday is celebrated. The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday, the day of large commercial sales and shopping for the Christmas season.
In October Thanksgiving is also celebrated in Canada, originating back to the colonial period.
The history of Thanksgiving
While there is no complete historical consensus on when or where America’s first Thanksgiving meal took place, in 1621 the holiday celebration is most commonly cited to have originated in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts.
The story goes that after the Mayflower arrived on December 11th, 1620 at Plymouth Rock, the Pilgrims (British separatists) lost 46 of their original 102 colonists. However, they learned to care for their crops and survive the cold of their first winter in the New World with the help of the Wampanoag Indians. The summer yielded a bountiful harvest in the year 1621. To commemorate the magnanimous event a traditional English three-day harvest festival was organized to celebrate.
When is Thanksgiving?
In the United States, with few exceptions Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. Thanksgiving will be celebrated on Thursday, 28 November 2024.
What is the meaning of Thanksgiving?
The meaning of Thanksgiving is to give thanks for the blessings like family, friends, health, and other positives. Thanksgiving is a federal holiday and is celebrated nationwide but some families incorporate religion by giving thanks in prayer.
In modern times, the holiday has come to celebrate blessings and symbolize gratitude and peace.
How to celebrate Thanksgiving?
Here are the things to celebrate the Thanksgiving day:
Watch the Parade
Check local for broadcast timing streams but the best idea is to watch marching bands parade through the streets.
Go to the store
Thanksgiving, in the US like most holidays, is either a day off or a short day for employees. Luckily, for the first half of the day grocery stores are usually open, so make sure you get to the store early to pick up all the ingredients you’ll need to start cooking.
Watch the presidential turkey pardon
Beginning in the mid-20th century, the President of the United States has “pardoned” one or two Thanksgiving turkeys yearly, sparing the birds from slaughter.
Watch American football
An essential part of the American Thanksgiving experience is Thanksgiving Day football games which are a great chance to cheer for your favorite team.
What food is eaten for Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving menus are quite traditional but differ due to cultural and regional differences. The most typical Thanksgiving dinner features a large roast turkey with cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie.
Turkey
At a Thanksgiving dinner, a large roasted turkey tends to be the centerpiece of choice, so much so that the holiday is nicknamed ‘turkey day’. To accompany the meal cranberry sauce is typically served, either canned or homemade.
If you’re looking for a vegetarian alternative, then spiced squash, feta & beetroot wellington is an excellent centerpiece for a veggie feast.
Stuffing and sides
American stuffing, or dressing, tends to be made with chunks of bread and then baked in a roasting dish. Other popular side dishes include macaroni and cheese and green bean casserole.
Potatoes
To accompany the roast turkey mashed potatoes are a staple Thanksgiving dish, with gravy on top. Alternatives include slow-cooker potato gratin, creamy scalloped potatoes, sweet potato casserole, and yams.
Pie and dessert
At a Thanksgiving dinner, hearty autumn flavors are the dessert of choice. To make an appearance, apple and pecan pie and pumpkin are all classics sure of this holiday. Other desserts include cakes and cheesecake.
Make your Thanksgiving Memorable
Fragrances are the best way to not only capture the memories even also make them live with every spray of that fragrance. So here we mention four our best selling fragrances to make your Thanksgiving holiday more memorable:
- Spicy Cinnamon inspired by Dior’s Sauvage Elixir
- Woody Sandalwood inspired by Creed’s Silver Mountain Water
- Dark Wood inspired by LV’s Matiere Noire
- Desert Heart inspired by Tom Ford’s Ombre Leather
Fragrances are a palpable instant replay of all of your most precious memories, choose the best one to get memorable reflections of what was.