10 Facts About Turkeys
The Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the United
States every year on the fourth Thursday in November. On this day the American
families gather and enjoy the Thanksgiving feast, which includes Turkey, with
all the trimmings. They also offer Thanksgiving
prayers to God on this day and sing songs to praise Him. Thanksgiving Day
2009 will be celebrated in the America on the fourth Thursday in the
month of November. The date is 27th November, 2009.
History of
American Thanksgiving
The
first Thanksgiving Day , set aside for the special purpose of prayer and
celebrations, was decreed by Governor William Bradford in July 30, 1623. There
were harvest festivals, or days of thanking God for plentiful crops because that
year the Pilgrim's fall harvest was very successful and plentiful after a period
of drought. There was corn, fruits, vegetables, along with fish which was packed
in salt, and meat that was smoke cured over fires. The Governor proclaimed a day
of thanksgiving that was to be shared by all the colonists and the neighboring
Native American Indians.
The event, however, was a one-time celebration
and was not intended to be an annual festival. It was not even repeated the
following year. It was only after 55 years that another Thanksgiving Day was
officially proclaimed. The Governing Council of Charlestown, Massachusetts
convened on June 20, 1676 to weigh how to best express thanks for the good
fortune that had secured the establishment of their community. By unanimous
vote, Edward Rawson (the Clerk of the Council) was instructed to announce June
29 as a Day of Thanksgiving that year. But this time also the event proved to be
just a one-time event.
Then the Continental
Congress suggested a day of national thanksgiving during the American
Revolution in late 1770's. In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an
annual custom, and by the middle of the 19th century many other states also did
the same.
In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of
thanksgiving. Since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving
Day proclamation, usually designating the fourth Thursday of each November
as the holiday for Thanksgiving in America.
Macy's Thanksgiving Day
Parade
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is another attraction of the
Thanksgiving Day in America. This parade is held every year in New York city and
audience enjoy its broadcast also.
