There's a Turkey in the Backyard

Life feels incomplete without holidays and festivals. Kids wait for festive seasons throughout the year. Everyone looks forward to enjoying the holidays with friends and family. Some holidays revolve around food, some around religious preaching. What stays common are the traditions followed each year without fail. Every country has its own set of national holidays, so does the United States of America. One of those national holidays is Thanksgiving Day.

History

Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November each year. If you ask why it is celebrated, here's your answer: We celebrate it to be grateful for the blessings of the previous year and the harvest. It began to be celebrated to thank, be grateful, and sacrifice. President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving as the national holiday in 1863.

Talk of Traditions

As said before, every holiday has some traditions attached to it. There are some attached to Thanksgiving Day too. Feast makes the largest part of Thanksgiving celebrations. Traveling to the family home, visiting friends and loved ones became a part of the traditions over time. Who hasn't heard of Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade? The tradition was started in 1924 by the U.S .- based department store. It is held each year in New York City with giant helium balloons we all love. The parade also includes musicals, floats, songs, performances, and of course, the marching bands! Football games are just as important. Some families prefer watching football matches in the coziness of their houses, huddled on the couches near the fireplace. However, some enthusiastic families like to play one themselves! People who are grounded to the original age-old values find pleasure in spending the holiday by helping others. Being grateful for what they have and attempting to share it with those not as lucky as them is a tradition for philanthropist individuals.

Centre of the celebration- the delicious Thanksgiving meal

Talking of traditions, we cannot forget to mention the traditional meal. The traditional Thanksgiving feast consisted of the turkey with bread stuffing in the main course. Sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, cornbread, and gravy follow. In desserts, pumpkin pie steals the show. More recently, people have been trying to come up with a vegan Thanksgiving feast just as lavish as the traditional one! Fortunately, many have indeed succeeded. There are recipes available all over the internet for vegan gravy and pumpkin pie. Master Chefs have tried to come with quite innovative recipes like the Green bean casserole. Good news for the emerging vegan community!

No replacement to traditional practices

Needless to mention, everything is bound to change over time. Communities change, mindsets change, needs change, and so do traditions. As some would agree, Thanksgiving might have lost its true meaning. Thanksgiving meant giving and sharing. It meant sharing food and gifts, thanking one another and God, and socializing. However, few people hold the opinion that the holiday no longer holds the same spirits. It is believed that it has reduced to just a mealtime observed fancily ii d dressing up. Cooking at home i involving each member of the p use switched to conveniently buying readymade food. Nonetheless, there is no substitution for the original practices. Hopefully, the traditions are still preserved by many - families, practicing the same Itstoms as before. Everyone does they please, so should you. Enjoy the holidays away!

Happy Thanksgiving