Why Do Americans Celebrate Thanksgiving Day?
Thanksgiving day is a special festival which was started hundred of years ago, and is widely celebrated by Americans all over the world. Thanksgiving day includes various traditions such as preparing a special thanksgiving meal, including roasted turkey dish, meshed potato cuisine with cranberry sauce, pumpkin pies and puddings and many more. Therefore, sharing a lavish thanksgiving meal with family members and friends is the main tradition followed on this special day. Apart from enjoying a traditional dinner, people also enjoy doing other activities such as, chasing a football match or enjoy watching a parade inspired from pilgrims or Indian culture, playing fun and exciting games with all family members and likewise. These all mentioned traditions are the major part of the overall thanksgiving celebration.
What is the main reason behind the celebration of thanksgiving day? The answer to this question can actually help you understand the main reason and significance of celebrating thanksgiving day by the Americans. Thanksgiving day is mainly celebrated after the end of the harvest season every year. The festival is mainly celebrated to thank God for the harvested food and other grateful things achieved in their life so far. The history of thanksgiving celebration is really interesting and covers various important facts that resulted into celebrating thanksgiving in various countries.
It is said that in 1620, a boat filled with more than hundred people reached a new land, which is future was named as America. The group of people were called pilgrims. Later, when they finally resided on this land, their first winter on this land was really unbearable for them as they could not grow any crops. Due to scarcity of fresh food, many people of that group died . Further these colonists took the help of some people from Indian origin and learned how to grow corn which was suitable to grow in that season. At the same time, various other items such as, barley, beans and pumpkins were also harvested in large amount. In the end, the migrated colonists arranged a special feast and invited some native Americans and some fellow Indians as well. At the same time, pilgrims also roasted turkey as the main dish of the menu. Since then each year a special thanksgiving meal is prepared and shared among friends and families to express gratitude towards God after the end of every harvested season.
In the end, the first President of America declared thanksgiving day as an annual holiday and asked all Americans to celebrate the fourth Thursday in November as a thanksgiving day.