Traditionally, on this day, Americans praised God for a rich harvest; now the holiday has lost its religious roots and turned into a family celebration.

The idea of ​​celebrating the end of the harvest dates back to ancient times. In North America, this holiday was transformed into thanksgiving prayers for a rich harvest, accompanied by abundant food. According to some reports, the first thanksgiving services for European settlers took place in 1607 in Jamestown, as well as in the colony of Maine.

However, in most cases, the history of the holiday is associated with settlers who arrived in America from England at the end of 1620. In the fall of 1621, the governor of the Plymouth colony they formed, William Bradford, invited the neighboring Indians to celebrate with the settlers a three-day holiday in honor of the first harvest harvested after the hungry winter in the New World, which the colonists survived largely thanks to the help of the natives.

This was the first Thanksgiving, but the colonists not only did not call it that, but also did not plan to make it a tradition - the next year there was no holiday, it was held again only in 1623, after the settlers, worried about the drought, prayed for rain for a long time - and received it.

For a long time the holiday was unofficial. European settlers held local fall harvest celebrations. Each state itself determined the date of celebration.

The first official Thanksgiving Day was declared in 1777 by the Continental Congress and took place on December 18, 1777.

In 1789, the first US President George Washington declared the holiday a national event. The date for “A day of public thanksgiving and prayer” was November 26, Thursday. However, in subsequent years, Thanksgiving continued to be celebrated irregularly. It became a national holiday only in 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln announced that from now on the last Thursday of November would be celebrated as Thanksgiving Day. True, already in 1865 the holiday was celebrated on the first Thursday of November - as proclaimed by US President Andrew Johnson. In 1869, President Ulysses Grant chose the third Thursday for Thanksgiving. In other years, Thanksgiving Day was celebrated on the last Thursday of November.

In 1939-1941, to expand the Christmas shopping season, US President Franklin Roosevelt moved the holiday to the penultimate Thursday of November. The transfer caused a split among the states - 16 states refused to change the tradition and continued to celebrate the holiday in the old way. After two years of confusion and complaints, Roosevelt signed legislation on December 26, 1941 establishing Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November.

Over the years, the holiday has developed a number of traditions that Americans carefully observe. Thanksgiving Day is usually celebrated in the house of the elder of the family with relatives. Relatives and friends come from all over the country to sit around a common table laden with traditional food. An obligatory attribute of the feast is turkey (in various versions of its preparation), sweet potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, stuffing with cracker cubes with spices, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie - what, according to historians, was on the tables of the colonists back in the 17th century.

The traditional holiday drink is apple cider. It is served hot and seasoned with spices.

Another holiday tradition is the turkey pardoning ceremony, which is held at the White House on the eve of the holiday. In accordance with this tradition, at least one turkey must avoid the fate of ending up on the holiday table.

The tradition of honoring the Thanksgiving turkey, according to the most common version, began in 1947, when the National Turkey Federation first presented the bird to US President Harry Truman. However, it was not until 1963 that President John Kennedy allowed the bird he had received as a gift to live.

The first official ceremony to pardon a turkey was performed by US President George H. W. Bush. Every year since then, the turkey and its “stand-in” (the stand-in is chosen in case something suddenly happens to the first bird before the ceremony) are spared the prospect of being roasted.

Another attribute of the holiday is. The first such parade took place in 1924 in Detroit.

The most famous parade is held annually in New York. It is organized by the largest chain of department stores, Macy's. The main attraction of the parade are huge inflatable toys (characters of cartoons, fairy tales and television shows), which are carried from Central Park to the entrance to the department store (between Seventh Avenue and Broadway). Since 1952 year the parade is broadcast on television.

After Thanksgiving, traditional pre-Christmas sales take place in all stores across the country; since the 1960s, this day has also been known because of the huge traffic jams that occur on the streets.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

23.11.2017, 12:18

Thanksgiving 2017 / thetrumpet

On Thursday, November 23, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the United States. Festive events will be held under increased security measures, given the recent hit-and-run in New York

Traditionally, Thanksgiving Day in the United States is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. Initially it was a religious holiday, but this day has long become more of a family holiday. On Thanksgiving Day, Americans gather with family and friends around tables laden with food, attend parades and football games. And many will go shopping on this holiday.

However, this year's holiday celebrations, including the traditional parade hosted by Macy's department store in Manhattan, will be held with increased security measures.

Every year the parade attracts 200 thousand spectators. But just weeks ago, a truck driven by an Uzbek man struck people on a busy bike path in New York City, killing eight people.

Security will be provided by police snipers and dogs trained to detect explosives. Trucks loaded with sand will also be used. Several thousand police officers will be stationed along the 4-kilometer parade route in Manhattan. .

Thanksgiving Traditions

One of the main traditions is traveling to meet family and friends. About 49 million people are expected to board cars, planes or trains. This is one million more than last year.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday used his powers to pardon two turkeys that could have become a holiday meal. All this was done on camera. Trump will spend the holidays at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

When Trump returns to the White House, he will already be prepared for the upcoming Christmas. First lady Melania Trump and the president's son Barron on Monday accepted the Christmas tree that will be installed at the White House.

Thanksgiving Day is one of the most beloved and popular holidays in the United States. They begin to prepare for it several months in advance: they decorate floats for the city parade, prepare performances, look for the most delicious recipe for turkey and pumpkin pie, invite their closest guests, and the children make the decorations themselves.

The history of the Thanksgiving holiday can be traced back to 1621, when the colonists and Indians shared a harvest festival and, according to legend, sat together at the same table.

In 1620, the legendary ship "Mayflower" left an English port to reach the American shore, not far from the Massachusetts River, after a month's difficult journey. After more than six months, only half of the first pilgrims, who survived the difficult winter and epidemic, were able to settle on the new land. The Squanto Indians helped the colonists create a full-fledged colony and survive in unfamiliar territory. It was the rich harvest in the fall of 1621 that prompted the Pilgrims to share a festive meal with the Indians.

Within a year, in each new colony, the settlers thanked God for a new life and celebrated the end of the harvest, only each society had its own date, and the holiday was dedicated not to the unification between two different peoples or the signing of a peace agreement between them, but to the end of the harvest.

Thanksgiving became a national holiday during the Civil War, when Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November to be Thanksgiving Day.

Today, in many American families, Thanksgiving Day has lost its religious meaning; even at the legislative level, the secular component of the holiday is emphasized.

Most Americans prefer to spend Thanksgiving with their family over a hearty meal. Thanksgiving traditionally includes turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes.

Large-scale parades throughout the country became an integral part of the holiday. The largest and most memorable parade is the 1924 parade in New York, which attracted more than 3 million spectators.

Nowadays, it is impossible to imagine Thanksgiving without a colorfully dressed crowd, balloons, an orchestra and specially decorated floats.

Despite the popularity of the holiday, many scientists still argue about the date of the first Thanksgiving Day in the United States. There is evidence of other thanksgiving ceremonies in European settlements in North America. For example, in 1565, Spanish missionary Pedro Menendez invited the Timucua tribe to a celebratory dinner to thank God for their safe voyage.

In addition, the indigenous population of the United States considers the traditional history of the holiday unreliable, since it depicts deceptively friendly relations between the Indians and European conquerors. Since 1970, those who disagree with this interpretation of Thanksgiving have gathered in rallies calling this day “National Day of Mourning.”

Although the celebration of Thanksgiving began actively only in the American colonies, the origins of the harvest celebration can be found in the culture of the ancient Egyptians, Celts and Jews.

And even Native Americans had rich traditions of harvest celebrations long before Europeans set foot on their shores.

For the United States, Thanksgiving is the most important holiday after Christmas. And the date of this celebration is always floating. Every fourth Thursday in November, almost every American has roast turkey, pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce on their table. And we decided to tell you a little more about this holiday.

Thanksgiving 2017: history of the holiday

The history of this holiday is quite interesting. It is believed that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated back in 1621, although the most important event happened a year before that.
In 1620, a ship carrying settlers from England who fled persecution landed on the coast of North America. Despite the fact that they managed to escape, a very difficult winter lay ahead, which no more than half of all settlers survived.
But the next year the Indians came to them and taught them how to plant local crops and find drinking water.

A year later, in 1621, the settlers reaped a wonderful harvest and invited their saviors, the Indians, to the holiday. Then words of gratitude to the higher powers were spoken. And it was that year that Americans celebrated their first Thanksgiving.

It must be said that until 1941, the date of Thanksgiving was not constant, but then the US Congress passed a bill, according to which it was decided to celebrate the holiday on the fourth Thursday of November.

Thanksgiving 2017: holiday traditions

Thanksgiving is, without a doubt, the most family-friendly holiday in the United States. According to tradition, it is customary to gather at the home of the oldest family members. Children and grandchildren usually come from all over the country. Sometimes they invite neighbors who have no one to celebrate with.

And, of course, the main tradition for Thanksgiving in the USA is a properly set table. Everyone should bake a turkey and make cranberry sauce to go with it. By the way, it is usually served with mashed potatoes. As for drinks, it is customary to serve cider or wine.

Thanksgiving is an original American holiday associated with the life of European settlers in the New World. The holiday was first celebrated in 1621, when colonists and invited representatives of the indigenous Indian population met at the festive table.

The settlers arrived on these lands a year ago, having endured a difficult journey across the ocean under the sails of the Mayflower. The ship's passengers left their native England for various reasons. Some wanted to get rich on unknown shores, some dreamed of religious freedom, and there were those who were simply hiding from justice. But the new land brought cruel trials to everyone. The settlers were not prepared to survive in local conditions; hunger and disease during the first winter claimed the lives of more than half of the colonists.

Only thanks to the help of Indian tribes was the Plymouth Colony able to survive. The Indians taught the former English how to hunt and protect themselves from predators, and most importantly, they explained how to grow local crops. Already the first harvest amazed the settlers with its abundance; now they were not afraid of the coming winter. At the end of all agricultural work, it was decided to organize a holiday where all the colonists could jointly give thanks to God for the harvest and hope for prosperity.

Subsequently, the holiday became a tradition during the years of abundant harvest and did not have an exact date. According to the established tradition, on the morning of the holiday, everyone was required to visit church; after returning home, families gathered together at a large table laden with abundant food. Traditionally, Thanksgiving dishes included roasted turkey, corn on the cob, and pumpkin pies.

The need for a holiday with a specific date was necessary when the United States became a single state. The initiator of the common date for all United States was the first President George Washington, who decided to celebrate Thanksgiving Day annually on November 26. The years of the Civil War changed attitudes toward some American values, and President Abraham Lincoln abolished the exact previous date, replacing it with the concept of the last Thursday in November.

This order existed until the reign of Roosevelt, who in 1939 decided that it would be more convenient to move the holiday to the penultimate Thursday of the last autumn month. This decision was rejected in half of the American states, where Thanksgiving Day was still celebrated on the last Thursday in November. Representatives of the state of Texas found the most interesting way out of the dual situation by declaring both dates to be holidays.

In 1941, the American government came to its senses and passed a bill that clearly stated the fourth Thursday of November each year as the common date for celebrating Thanksgiving Day throughout America. This resolution is still in force today.

In the United States, Thanksgiving Day is considered a family holiday, which begins a series of Christmas celebrations. A similar tradition exists in Canada, but on the second Monday of October. Festive events take place at the state and city levels. Educational thematic programs and films are shown on television. Schools organize holidays dedicated to the life of the Pilgrim Fathers from the Mayflower ship, and hold exhibitions of children's crafts, where the most popular character is the turkey. In New York, the custom has taken root to hold parades of giant inflatable toys, among which you can recognize your favorite characters from cartoons and games. On the evening of the holiday, fireworks roar and shine throughout all the cities and towns of America.