Reflections: Our turkey day celebration older than the nation itself

It has a deep-rooted history of religious and cultural traditionsthat also reflects the foundation of America – a land of immigrants with secular values.

When it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, Americans have a lot of common ground, but there’s also plenty of room for variety. These English Pilgrims left Plymouth on September 6, 1620, for the New World. A third expedition to shore went around the tip of Cape Cod to the western shore.

No, we don’t always remember that when those Pilgrims stepped off the boat in what would become MA they were in the minority. We don’t know too much about the reality of the first Thanksgiving day because several of the accounts current historians look at were written almost 20 years after the original day, calling into question their accuracy.

It’s interesting to remember, however, that however pleasant the customs that have grown up around Thanksgiving may be, they bear little resemblance to what probably happened back in 1621. She filled her magazine with recipes and sometimes fanciful tales of the Pilgrims, and convinced President Lincoln, in 1863, to declare Thanksgiving a national holiday.

Thanksgiving is always the fourth Thursday of November, which this year falls on November 24.

If you can’t make it to Plymouth for the National Day of Mourning, or you still simply want to spend Thanksgiving with your family, you can still help by using the holiday table as a scene for conversation. The 53 remaining members of the colony famously celebrated a harvest feast with members of the Pokanoket tribe, an event considered the basis for today’s Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving is usually celebrated with a grand feast that would include the signature roast turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing or dressing, mashed potatoes, and gravy.

So how did turkey become so synonymous with Thanksgiving? Communities often hold food drives and host free dinners for the less fortunate.

“Thanksgiving tells a story that is convenient for Americans”, Keeler said.

88 percent of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving, and 46 million birds are served. “The healing properties of the holiday have reached across the decades since then, becoming part of the American tradition”. There are parades in some cities and towns on or around Thanksgiving Day. It typically features marching bands, performers, and elaborate floats conveying various celebrities. The Day significantly marks the opening of the Christmas shopping season.

Actually, 38 extremely relieved Englishmen who had arrived on the shores of the new colony of Virginia in 1619 aboard the tiny, 35-foot-long ship Margaret thanked their lucky stars for their survival during a heartfelt Thanksgiving service on November 30 of that year.

It is usually followed by a insane day of bagging bargains with Black Friday following the day after.

Over 750 million pounds of cranberries are produced in the US each year in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington. For the next two years, he repeated the unpopular proclamation. These wishes of 2016 Thanksgiving will make one feel good about this day even if they are far away. It is observed on the second Monday of October, which this year was October 10.