Thanksgiving day- the history & tradition

Thanksgiving day is generally celebrated in Canada & States The history of U.S thanksgiving dates back to 1621 with the settlers in Plymouth colony,Massachusetts. The settlers would have found the life well nigh impossible had it not been for the native Indians who taught them hunting & farming. To celebrate the good harvest season, the settlers thanked God & invited the native Indians for dinner. Later on, through proclamation by the President, every fourth Thursday of November is celebrated as Thanksgiving day in States. In Canada, it is the second Monday of October. Thanksgiving is a four day holiday period in States.



Both Thanksgiving & Christmas are celebrated with close family & friends. But unlike Christmas,people don't exchange any presents during Thanksgiving. Visiting families might bring some wine or dessert pie. Just before dinner, the family members stand in a circle holding hands & the the head of the host family says "the Grace prayer" thanking God.

Traditional Thanksgiving dinner always implies roast turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing,mashed potatoes.gravy,sweet potatoes,turnip,corn & a pecan pie or pumpkin pie & a good wine. The dinner is always accompanied with abundant family news, stories & lots of fun & laughter. More than 45 million turkeys find themselves from the farmland to the dinner table during Thanksiving day in States & hence its also called a turkey day.

Thanksgiving day also marks the beginning of the "holiday season" which lasts up to new year. The day after the thanksgiving day is called the "Black Friday". it is so named because the retail shops books of account generally turns from red to black(from loss to profit). The day sees huge discount sales offered by retailers & the stores open as early as 4 A.M. Invariably, there is a mad rush to avail of these fabulous price. The retail stores make 50% of their yearly profits during the holiday season. No wonder Retail stores look forward to the holiday season with bated breath. Initial survey indications for this year's Black Friday sales have been positive. The estimate is a 4% sales growth during this holiday season. Should this not come through, the American economy will be in big trouble as consumer spending accounts for 70% of the economy of U.S.