Thanksgiving

     On the fourth Thursday each November, we enjoy the special holiday of Thanksgiving.  Many people are out of work, and schools are closed, as families and friends gather together for a feast.  This day is marked for acknowledging and  celebrating the blessings we have in our lives.  Abundance is a luxury to be enjoyed and shared by all!

     Thanksgiving prayer services were routinely celebrated by Europeans, prior to settlement in the United States, to give thanks for one's blessings.  The most historic Thanksgiving event, commonly called "The First Thanksgiving",   began in 1621 at Plymouth Plantation.  A celebration of the first harvest by Pilgrims in the New World was  shared between Native Americans and Colonists, after a successful growing season.  The feast lasted for 3 days.  Lincoln declared Thanksgiving as a national holiday in 1863.

     Turkeys were not the main dish at the First Thanksgiving, as many types of meat and fowl were hunted to provide meals at the table.  However, when Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday, Turkeys were plentiful and became the common dinner centerpiece.  Since 1947, President Truman began the tradition of a Presidential Pardon for the turkey presented to spare it's life.  Approximately 46 million turkeys are now eaten in America on Thanksgiving.

     Seasonal Harvesting of fruits and vegetables in America provide foods we commonly serve at Thanksgiving today.  Potatoes, Pumpkins, Squash, Apples, Pears, Green Beans, Carrots, Beets, Yams are among the most popular foods on the Thanksgiving Dinner table.

     The Thanksgiving Day Parade began in 1920 as Gimbels Thanksgiving Day Parade, which is now known as the 6ABC - Dunkin' Donuts Thanksgiving Parade.  There is a tie for the,  second-oldest Thanksgiving Parades in the US,  which are held in Michigan and New York.   In 1924, the J.L. Hudson Company Department Store, of downtown Detroit, Michigan,  marched floats, bands, and large paper-mache heads.  Now run by the Michigan Thanksgiving Parade Foundation, "America's Thanksgiving Parade" is a registered trademark.   In New York City, also in 1924, Macy's Department Store began it's first Thanksgiving  Day parade, which was called the "Macy's Christmas Parade".  The parade consisted of 3 floats pulled by horses, 4 bands, zoo animals, and Santa Claus.

     The idea of American Football being played on Thanksgiving Day began in 1876, with a game  between Yale and Princeton, shortly after the game had been invented.  The first professional football games to be played on Thanksgiving began in 1920.  Rivalries between Pros, Colleges, and High School Teams continue as staples in the Traditional American Thanksgiving Celebrations.

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