The origin and customs of Thanksgiving Day in 2017
4hw.org: which day is Thanksgiving in 2017? What gift should I give to you? Let's make up the following to check the custom and origin of Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Day is an ancient festival created by the American people, and it's also a holiday for families to get together. In 1941, the United States Congress officially designated the fourth Thursday of November as "Thanksgiving Day". Thanksgiving holidays usually last from Thursday to Sunday. In the eyes of Americans, Thanksgiving is second only to Christmas. Do you know the origin of Thanksgiving? What's the custom of Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving Day in 2017 is November 23, which is today.
Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving is closely related to American history
In the early 17th century, Puritans in England were persecuted. So in September 1620, 102 Puritans boarded a sailboat named Mayflower. They experienced unimaginable difficulties and strong winds and waves at sea. After more than two months of turbulence, the ship arrived at Plymouth port in the United States on December 26 (when there was no United States at all). They plan to live a new life of free worship here.
When they first arrived in this new continent, their new life was not smooth sailing. In the winter of the first year, these new immigrants could only live in their own simple houses. In the extremely cold winter, such huts are obviously unable to withstand the cold wind and snow, coupled with the lack of food and the invasion of infectious diseases. In the spring of the next year, only more than 50 immigrants who experienced the cold and hunger survived.
Thank God, these immigrants met an Indian named S & middot; kuntu. The kind-hearted SI & middot; kuntu introduced these immigrants to the chief of his tribe, massasoud. So the kind-hearted Indians not only brought them a lot of necessities, but also taught them to hunt, fish and grow corn, pumpkins and broad beans.
With the help of the Indians, the immigrants finally got a good harvest. In order to thank God for his grace and sincere help, the immigrants decided to hold a three-day celebration and invited Indian friends to join them.
On the day of the harvest celebration, chief massasoud led 90 Indians to the village of Plymouth, where immigrants lived, to join them.
They first fired their guns, then marched into a room used as a church for worship, praying and thanking God piously. Then they had a big party to celebrate. On the second and third days, wrestling, running, singing, dancing and other activities were held. There are many ways and contents of celebration, which have been handed down for more than 300 years and have been preserved to this day.
In 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving.
The custom of Thanksgiving
Every Thanksgiving Day, the whole country is very busy. In cities and towns, there are costume parades, theatrical performances and sports competitions. Schools and shops also have holidays according to regulations. The children also put on bizarre costumes, painted faces or put on masks to sing and play trumpets in the street. There were also many people in the church on that day. According to the custom, people would pray for Thanksgiving here. On Thanksgiving Day, every family member always strives to come back from all over the world. The family sits together and chews delicious turkey and talks about the past, which makes people feel extraordinarily warm and friendly.
Eat turkey: Thanksgiving food is very traditional. Every Thanksgiving, the United States and Canadians must have fat and tender Turkey to eat. Turkey is the traditional main course of Thanksgiving. When Europe immigrated to America, it felt that Turkey's appearance was very similar to Turkey's' black and red 'clothing characteristics, so it was called' Turkey '. In 1947, during the reign of President Truman, a ceremony for the release of Turkey by the president was added. In fact, the traditional ceremony can be traced back to President Lincoln's administration. One day in 1863, Lincoln's son Ted burst into the cabinet room and asked for the pardon of a pet turkey named Jack. Because the turkey, which was sent to the White House, is going to be a Thanksgiving dinner. On November 20, 2007, President Bush released two turkeys named "may" and "flower" at the annual release ceremony. Their names are connected to the meaning of the Mayflower that the pilgrims took to the new world.
Food delivery: since the 18th century, there has been a custom in the United States to send a basket of food to poor people. At that time, a group of young women wanted to choose a day of the year to do charity, and thought that Thanksgiving was the most appropriate one. So as soon as Thanksgiving arrived, they packed a basket full of food and sent it to the poor people themselves. It's rumoured that many people will soon learn how to do it.
Table setting: the arrangement of Thanksgiving table is also very special. Housewives do not place flowers as usual, but fruit and vegetables. There is also a big pumpkin in the middle, around which there are some apples, corn and dried fruits. Sometimes people empty out apples or pumpkins and fill them with shelled dried fruits or light candles. Usually, the hostess can let the guests into the living room after dinner, but not at Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving dinner is sweet, everyone is willing to stay at the dinner table for a while, they eat while happily recalling the past, until the last candle burn out.
Play games: after Thanksgiving party, some families often play traditional games, such as dancing, competitions, etc. Some of them have been circulating to this day.
Cranberry competition: a big bowl with cranberry is put on the ground. 4 to 10 competitors sit around and each one is given a copy of the needle and thread. At the beginning of the game, they put on needles and thread first, and then string the cranberries one by one. As soon as three minutes arrive, whoever gets the longest string will win the prize. As for the slowest dressed man, we jokingly gave him the worst prize.
Corn game: it is said that this is to commemorate the passing down of five corn to each immigrant in the case of food shortage. During the game, people hide five corn in the house, and let everyone go to find five corn people to participate in the game, while others watch. At the beginning of the competition, five people quickly peeled the corn into a bowl, and whoever peeled it first won the prize. Then the people who didn't participate in the competition gathered around the bowl to guess how many corn grains there were, and the closest prize was popcorn.
Pumpkin race: the competitor pushes the pumpkin with a spoon. The rule is never to touch the pumpkin with his hand. The winner will be the first to the end. The smaller the spoon is, the more interesting the game will be. It often makes everyone laugh.
Apart from these activities, some families drive to the countryside for an outing or take a plane trip during the festival, especially in Plymouth port, where immigrants settled down. There, you can see the imitated boat and Plymouth stone according to the Mayflower, and you can spend a few hours visiting the immigrant village. The immigrant village was built like it was then. During the visit, there were also professionals disguised as Puritans to talk with tourists, giving people a sense of immersive experience.