What is Thanksgiving?

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What is Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving (or Thanksgiving Day) is an annual one-day holiday that people celebrate in the USA and Canada.
In the United States Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November and in Canada, on the second Monday in October.

Facts about Thanksgiving:

• Most Americans believe that the first American Thanksgiving was a feast that took place sometime in the autumn of 1621, at Plymouth Plantation, Massachusetts. A group led by separatists from the Church of England celebrated a three-day harvest feast with the native Wampanoag people, without whom they wouldn’t have survived the winter of 1620.

• In the Northeastern United States, the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving is one of the busiest nights of the year for bars and pubs. It is the first night home for college students returning from the semester.

• In New York, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is held every year in Midtown Manhattan. During the parade you can see moving stands (also known as floats) with specific themes, scenes from Broadway plays, large balloons of cartoon characters and TV personalities, and high school marching bands.

• The American winter holiday season (generally the Christmas shopping season in the US) begins when Thanksgiving ends, on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

• American football is often a major part of Thanksgiving celebrations in the US and Canadian football is played in Canada. Professional games are traditionally played on Thanksgiving Day in both countries.

• Because turkey is the most common main dish of a Thanksgiving dinner, Thanksgiving is sometimes colloquially called Turkey Day. Most Thanksgiving turkeys are stuffed with bread crumbs and roasted.

• Beverages served at Thanksgiving can vary depending on who is present at the table and how many. Apple cider is often present (in the US this drink is most often non-alcoholic), served either hot or cold. They serve also domestic wine and cocktails before the main meal. Children are served soft drinks and grape juice.