Thanksgiving, the American Thanksgiving , is celebrated in the USA every year in November Besides Christmas, Thanksgiving is one of the most important holidays of every American. Since the American Thanksgiving is fundamentally different from the Thanksgiving as we know it in Germany, we will show you the 11 most important facts around the American festival Thanksgiving .
Where is Thanksgiving celebrated?
The classic Thanksgiving is celebrated in all US states and in Canada. In many other countries around the world, Thanksgiving is celebrated as a counterpart. In Germany For example, Thanksgiving is always celebrated on first Sunday in October Unlike in the USA and most parts of Canada, Thanksgiving in Germany is not a public holiday . This is partly because the harvest festival is not given too much importance in Germany, while in the USA Thanksgiving is one of the most important festivals of the year may be counted.
When is Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving is not celebrated on a specific date in the USA. The so-called Thanksgiving Day always takes place on fourth Thursday of November In 1865, Thanksgiving was abolished due to a proclamation by President Andrew Johnson on first Thursday in November. Four years later, in 1869, President Ulysses S. Grant chose the third Thursday as Thanksgiving Day . In all other years – until 1939 – Thanksgiving was on the last Thursday in November celebrated, as the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, had once decreed.
It was not until 1939, when the National Retail Dry Goods Association wanted to extend the Christmas shopping season and put pressure on the American president, Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving Day by a week to penultimate Thursday of the month . The association had already made a similar request in 1933, but it was rejected at the time because Roosevelt believed that this change too much confusion In 1939, a downright chaos around Thanksgiving The change in Thanksgiving Day actually only applied to the District of Columbia and federal employees. It was assumed that the governors of other states the state proclamation for the same day. Instead, 23 of the 48 states celebrated Thanksgiving this year already on November 23rd , while 23 states celebrate the American Thanksgiving on November 30th In addition, Texas and Colorado declared both Thursdays as holidays . After two years of confusion and numerous complaints, President Roosevelt signed a Law that Thanksgiving Day as the fourth Thursday In order to ensure that future presidents cannot influence the planning of Thanksgiving Day, Congress passed a law stating that the Thanksgiving Day in five out of seven years may fall on the last Thursday. Accordingly, Thanksgiving is still celebrated today always on the fourth Thursday in November instead of.
Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?
The history of Thanksgiving is not entirely clear, i.e. how the festival ultimately came about. Most Americans assume that the Pilgrim Fathers at Plymouth Rock together with the native Wampanoag Indians celebrated a three-day harvest festival as a thank you. Without the help of the indigenous people, the settlers from Europe would have about 400 years ago The Indians showed the Europeans how best to growing corn and their fertilizing fields and helped them to find their way in the new land. According to legend, the settlers and the Wampanoag people together built the very first Thanksgiving celebrated.
Thanksgiving origin - when was it first celebrated?
In the year 1620 made themselves courageous emigrants on the way to America to better life In their homeland, many no food and no work and hoped to be able to start over in America. In Plymouth, a port city in the southwest of England, many people boarded the Mayflower to travel to America. The crossing of the Atlantic proved to be very difficult, as many emigrants the trip did not survive . The reason was the many Diseases that could easily spread on board. Even when the emigrants arrived in America, things did not really improve. The settlers found this climate and the different flora and fauna which they did not know from their homeland. Thus, serious diseases that cost some people their lives. Other settlers died from Hunger and weakness . The Wampanoag Indian tribe became aware of the suffering of the settlers and showed the emigrants how they could new homeland As a thank you, both parties celebrated 1621 together the first Thanksgiving celebration . This is still considered birth hour Thanksgiving Day.
What is the tradition of Thanksgiving?
On Thanksgiving Day It is a tradition in the USA that the whole family gathered and a large banquet It is not uncommon for many Americans across the USA travel to Thanksgiving and that following weekend with their families. One of the most important customs is Thanksgiving prayer at the table . This is usually said by the head of the family. In many families, however, everyone present each one reveals what he would like to be thankful for, what has particularly moved him in the past and what his wishes for the future Since Thanksgiving is the day of "giving thanks" many Americans also help people who are less fortunate. For example, food is provided for Donated to the homeless and needy .
For many families it has become a tradition to spend the afternoon together Football on TV Incidentally, the two teams are always present "Detroit Lions" and the “Dallas Cowboys” . Also popular is the Thanksgiving parade in New York, which many families watch live on TV. It traditionally starts at 77th Street in New York and runs west of Central Park along 6th Avenue until it finally ends at Macy's shopping center ends.
Many Americans take the Friday after Thanksgiving, the so-called Black Friday , when the Christmas shopping season officially begins, is free. So you can long weekend together with their friends and families.
What is there to eat on Thanksgiving?
On Thanksgiving, American families usually have a stuffed turkey on the opulently laid table. The traditional stuffing of the turkey consists of bread, onions, celery, eggs, parsley and various spices. But here too there are There are numerous variations , for example turkeys are often stuffed with apricots and bacon or with apples and rice. Patrick Ryan shows in his video how the perfect turkey for Thanksgiving succeeds.
In addition to the main course, there is of course also a Variety of side dishes . Particularly popular are sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes, green vegetables such as peas, beans or Brussels sprouts. This is often accompanied by a delicious cranberry sauce, which is also available in our shop.
As appetizer is Thanksgiving A corn soup is often served. For dessert, many families have Pumpkin Pie – a delicious pumpkin pie. But also the Apple Pie and pecan pie ( here you can find the recipe ) are on Thanksgiving extremely popular.
As you can see, the number of dishes and delicacies is very large. It is practically a matter of good taste second helping Nevertheless, it is usually the case that a amount of food The so-called "Leftovers" are consumed in the following days. Did you know that the “leftover meal” is often popular than the food on Thanksgiving itself? From the remaining turkey many Americans Turkey sandwiches . Here too, the delicious cranberry sauce of course not to be missed.
How many turkeys are eaten at Thanksgiving?
Every year in the USA around 46 million turkeys With a population of about 330 million, this means one turkey for every seven people . But not all turkeys are eaten! The so-called National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation is now part of the tradition of White House . The President is given a live turkey Since 1989 it has been a tradition that the incumbent US President at Thanksgiving the presented turkey (and that replacement animal ) pardoned . George W. Bush and Barack Obama each “saved” 16 turkeys the life.
How important is Thanksgiving for Americans?
As already mentioned at the beginning, Thanksgiving next to Christmas to the most important holidays of an American. Thanksgiving is almost as important to the American people as the Independence Day (Independence Day or Fourth of July) on July 4th. Thanksgiving is the day on which Money and work lose importance and friends and family are the focus. In hardly any other country in the world is Thanksgiving celebrated as much as in the USA. This is also due to the zealous patriotism of Americans. In the USA, people are particularly proud of the long-ago, important historical events , customs and traditions, some of which several centuries are old.
Black Friday and Thanksgiving
The Black Friday is the day in the USA after Thanksgiving . This marks the Christmas shopping season The focus of Black Friday is on large Discounts in retail stores to stimulate consumption. Since Friday is usually a holiday for long weekend is taken off and serves as a kind of bridge day, many Americans use the day to first Christmas shopping Many shops are therefore already opening in the early morning hours . It often happens that many people are already in long lines waiting in front of the shops to get the long-awaited bargain From an economic point of view, Black Friday in the USA serves as important indicator for the Christmas business .
Where the name “Black Friday” originally comes from is not beyond doubt The most plausible and most popular are the following explanations:
- The name comes from the fact that the large crowds on the streets and in the shops from a distance like a single black mass appear
- Black Friday is considered the highest sales day of the year , where retailers have the chance to get out of the red and thus to write black instead of red numbers
Black Friday should not be confused with Black Thursday, the day of the stock market crash in New York in October 1929. Due to the time difference in Europe The day of the crash in this country fell on a Friday, the so-called "Black Friday" - while in the USA it is Black Thursday, i.e. Black Thursday we are talking about.
Thanksgiving in Canada
During Thanksgiving in the USA on fourth Thursday is celebrated in November, the Canadian Thanksgiving Day already on second Monday in October . This is because in north located Canada the harvest is harvested earlier than in the USA.
In Canada, Thanksgiving is a holiday , making Thanksgiving one of the popular long weekends per year. In Canada, too, many different dishes on the table. Stuffed turkey, cooked ham, sweet potatoes and all kinds of desserts ensure that Canadian Thanksgiving Day no one goes hungry. Similar to the USA, Thanksgiving in Canada is a huge family celebration where friends and families meet to have a nice, evening together Depending on the region, Thanksgiving in Canada is various parades and Sporting events that accompany the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday.
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place every year Thanksgiving in New York City and is one of the most traditional holiday parades in the USA. The three-hour parade is organized by the department store Macy's and attracts every year crowds of spectators In addition, the event will live on television shown and watched by millions of Americans.
The Thanksgiving parade of Macy's department store is known for its colorfully decorated floats , brass bands, cheerleading and dance groups. However, the parade is famous for its variety of balloons of well-known comic heroes and Toy figures . Every year there are several Giant balloons that attract everyone’s attention. For example, Charlie Brown , Spider-Man, Olaf from Frozen, Hello Kitty, Sonic the Hedgehog, Snoopy , Mickey Mouse , Scooby-Doo and Shrek in recent years as giant balloon and provided the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with shining eyes – not only among children.
