Photo courtesy of Finkorswim.com
By Kelsey Tennant
This coming Thursday is the fourth in the month of November. Do you know what that means? It’s almost Thanksgiving. So start basting your turkey, baking your pumpkin pies, and changing into your elastic pants because it is time to feast!
Thanksgiving has been an official annual tradition since 1863. During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln declared a national holiday of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens,” to be celebrated on November 26.
Most Americans are aware of what is referred to as the “First Thanksgiving,” a feast created by the pilgrims in the New World in 1621. According to the Wikipedia article on the First Thanksgiving, this first feast lasted for three days and was attended by 53 pilgrims and 90 Native Americans. The colonists of New England were already accustomed to partaking in “thanksgivings,” which were days of prayer for thanking God for victories in war or for the end of a drought. It is not thought that this particular Thanksgiving was part of a religious celebration.
Hundreds of years later, the United States has formed several traditions around this tradition of Thanksgiving. One of the major traditions is that every feast on this day replicates that of the one that was held by the Wampanoag and the pilgrims. The feast is centered on a turkey and accompanied with stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet corn, and other fall vegetables. Those who are less fortunate are usually offered a free Thanksgiving meal at local churches. Also, food drives are held to collect non-perishable items and canned foods to donate to those in need.
Fitting to its name, Thanksgiving continues to be a day for giving thanks. The holiday was originally founded as a religious observance for all of the members of a community to give thanks to God for one common purpose. Certain presidents, such as George Washington, Grover Cleveland, and William McKinley kept this aspect alive in several ways. Washington’s reasons for thanks included “for the civil and religious liberty,” “useful knowledge,” and for God’s “kind care.” Cleveland and McKinley were the only presidents to offer a specifically Christian perspective in their proclamations.
Various religious organizations offer worship services on the weekend before Thanksgiving, the day of, or the weekend after. Ashley Mentzer, 22, explains that “the best part of Thanksgiving is that it doesn’t matter how much money you have, or what gifts you give. You get to spend it with the people that you love and care about. You get to be thankful for all that God has blessed you with.”
In terms of entertainment during the turkey-eating season, Americans have begun the tradition of a Thanksgiving Day Parade. The most well-known celebration is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It has been held annually in New York City since 1924. The parade begins on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and finishes at Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square, and is televised nationally by NBC. The floats in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade consist of specific themes, scenes from different Broadway shows, TV and cartoon characters, and even high school marching bands. The parade traditionally ends with the Santa Claus float, an unofficial recognition of the beginning of the Christmas season. Caitlin Taylor, 22 says “my family and I always make hot, fresh cinnamon rolls on Thanksgiving morning to eat while we all watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade!”
Football is also a huge American tradition when it comes to Thanksgiving. The National Football League has played games on Thanksgiving Day since it was created. This tradition is referred to as the Thanksgiving Classic. The Detroit Lions have hosted a game every Thanksgiving since 1934. In 1966, the Dallas Cowboys also took on the responsibility of hosting a game on Thanksgiving Day. Many college football seasons end on Thanksgiving weekend, and “Turkey Bowls” are contests played by high school football teams also held on Thanksgiving weekend.
Though no one Thanksgiving tradition takes precedent over the others, perhaps the most monumental event that takes place during the Thanksgiving season is Black Friday. This is the name that has been given to the day that follows Thanksgiving Day. It marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Most major retailers on this day will open their doors as early as midnight to determined Black Friday shoppers.
While Black Friday is not an official holiday, it is seen as a traditional holiday in the eyes of employers who will give their employees off in order to increase the amount of customers. The name originated in Philadelphia, where it was originally used to describe the horrendous amount of traffic on the day after Thanksgiving. The alternative explanation that was later given meant that “Black Friday” indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit and were no longer “in the red” but “in the black.”
Now whether you watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, play football with your family in the backyard, or enjoy the last piece of homemade pumpkin pie, remember that Thanksgiving is a day for indulgence and praise. With that being said, don’t be afraid to indulge in that post-thanksgiving-meal nap in order to restore your energy for yet another holiday season.
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