What are people thankful for?

Family get-togethers, friends over for dinner! These are some of the most popular ways of celebrating a very important date in lots of countries: Thanksgiving! In the United States, Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated typically on the fourth Thursday of November. In Canada, it's celebrated on the second Monday of October. Despite happening in different moments of the calendar, the idea behind this holiday is the same for both peoples: it’s a time to reflect on the year, be thankful, and enjoy a delicious meal with family and friends.

The origins of Thanksgiving are related to feasts which were held after harvests or other special occasions such as the birth of a royal member or plagues affecting the countries or even intense droughts or floods. People gathered together to eat and pray. They would also be grateful for special blessings said to be coming from God. In North America, it dates back to the 1620s, when the Pilgrims, a group of English settlers, who had arrived in what is now Massachusetts, were able to harvest after a very difficult winter. In gratitude, they held a feast to give thanks for their survival and the abundance of food. This event is considered the first Thanksgiving in America. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln recognised Thanksgiving as a day of national thanksgiving and praise.

This holiday is considered a time to look back on the past year and to be thankful for the blessings in our lives, such as the abundance of food and the love of family and friends. What blessings are you thankful for?

How do people celebrate Thanksgiving?

The most traditional way to celebrate is to host a dinner with the loved ones. The traditional meal includes turkey, stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes, cornbread, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. A lot of people serve pumpkin pie for dessert at the end of the meal. Other popular pie flavors are pecan, sweet potato, and apple. However, they may add some of their own family's traditional dishes. The decoration of the table is also important and people usually use some festive autumn colours and items!

Another way of celebrating is to volunteer to serve meals at a local shelter in the community. People also help the shelter by donating non-perishable food items or clothes to those in need.

Enjoy this blessed moment of the year with some of the ideas that I selected for you. Just click on the buttons below and have fun!