Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated in America, generally observed as an expression of gratitude to God. It is an occasion to give thanks to God for the bounty of the autumn harvest. In the United States, the holiday is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. In Canada, where the harvest generally ends earlier in the year, the holiday is celebrated on the second Tuesday in October, which is observed as Columbus Day.
The first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621 to celebrate a successful harvest in the new land. The celebration was based on harvest traditions that the colonists brought with them from England. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving as a national holiday.
Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated with a feast shared among friends and family. In the United States, it is an important family holiday, and people often travel across the country to be with family members for the holiday. The Thanksgiving holiday is generally a "four-day" weekend in the United States, in which Americans are given the relevant Thursday and Friday off. Thanksgiving is almost entirely celebrated at home.
American families get together to watch football and eat a big feast with turkey and grandma's apple pie. Beyond food and football, Thanksgiving is also about friendship and partnership. Pilgrims and Native Americans, who were once enemies, reaped a successful harvest by working together. At the first Thanksgiving, they ate, sang, and danced together for three days. A typical Thanksgiving meal in the United States includes turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and rolls.
