Well almost. America is the original 24 hour society, but on Thanksgiving most of that is put aside and for one day being with family takes precedence. This is similar to England during the Christmas holiday. The difference is that America will do it all again in about a months time, because Christmas is also celebrated. Another difference is what follows - Black Friday, but more on that later.
We were privileged to be included in the celebration. Partly due to Robert's work commitments, partly due to the lack of schedules that a new born baby imposes and partly due to the distance to be travelled, we arrived relatively late in the day. A warm welcome awaited us as we met people we had not seen since last Christmas. Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens", t were soon eating foods we had never tried before, and many that we had. This was not the 'sit around the table turkey dinner' that is so prevalent in films, but a buffet style, with a wide choice of different foods, so that there was something for everyone. I now have some new favourites. Green Bean Casserole is especially worthy of mention, as are the sweet potatoes, which I don't usually like, but these were very tasty although the texture is still a problem.
To understand Thanksgiving we must ask what is the thanks for and who is being thanked. The holiday was instituted by Abraham Lincoln to give " Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens" (Wikipedia). That tells us who we are giving thanks to, but not what for, although giving thanks and praise to our beneficent Father is purpose enough, I think there is likely to be a more specific origin. A further scan of Wikipedia suggests that the celebration comes from the services usually held to give thanks for arriving safely after a long and difficult voyage. This became mixed with harvest thanksgivings after some bumper harvests and later military victories. What established it as a national celebration was the various government authorities supporting the celebration. Today, there is no religious service specifically for Thanksgiving, the only distraction is the need to be at work, this is mainly true for the service industries. There is also the Macy's parade, which is televised and provides a centre piece for some.
To me it seems that this unique holiday is much more about celebrating family at all levels, which in itself is a healthy thing for a nation to do.
We were privileged to be included in the celebration. Partly due to Robert's work commitments, partly due to the lack of schedules that a new born baby imposes and partly due to the distance to be travelled, we arrived relatively late in the day. A warm welcome awaited us as we met people we had not seen since last Christmas. Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens", t were soon eating foods we had never tried before, and many that we had. This was not the 'sit around the table turkey dinner' that is so prevalent in films, but a buffet style, with a wide choice of different foods, so that there was something for everyone. I now have some new favourites. Green Bean Casserole is especially worthy of mention, as are the sweet potatoes, which I don't usually like, but these were very tasty although the texture is still a problem.
To understand Thanksgiving we must ask what is the thanks for and who is being thanked. The holiday was instituted by Abraham Lincoln to give " Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens" (Wikipedia). That tells us who we are giving thanks to, but not what for, although giving thanks and praise to our beneficent Father is purpose enough, I think there is likely to be a more specific origin. A further scan of Wikipedia suggests that the celebration comes from the services usually held to give thanks for arriving safely after a long and difficult voyage. This became mixed with harvest thanksgivings after some bumper harvests and later military victories. What established it as a national celebration was the various government authorities supporting the celebration. Today, there is no religious service specifically for Thanksgiving, the only distraction is the need to be at work, this is mainly true for the service industries. There is also the Macy's parade, which is televised and provides a centre piece for some.
To me it seems that this unique holiday is much more about celebrating family at all levels, which in itself is a healthy thing for a nation to do.
posted from Bloggeroid
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