Gratefully always
SELINE AUGUSTINE
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It is generally believed that the First Thanksgiving dates back to 1621 and the Pilgrim Fathers.
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If the only prayer you said in your whole life is "thank you", that would suffice. So, said Michael Eckhart. It helps to have a grateful heart and express thanks for kind acts, however small and insignificant. There is a day specifically allocated for giving thanks - the fourth Thursday in November is Thanksgiving holiday.
It is as big a festival as Christmas in the U.S., seven more nations, Canada, Japan, Korea, Switzerland, Argentina, Brazil and Liberia, also have an official holiday on this day.
Family members travel long distances to be home for this day and for the ensuing long weekend. The next day kickstarts the official Christmas shopping. You get the best bargains on this day in many parts of north America.
History
It is generally believed that the First Thanksgiving dates back to 1621 when the Pilgrim Fathers had an annual feast, but this was more in gratitude to the Creator who gave a bountiful harvest. In 1789 George Washington proclaimed it as National Day of Thanksgiving. About 75 years later President Abe Lincoln announced the holiday. The Macy's Thanksgiving day parade is a favourite with children, thanks to the colourful balloons, floats and characters larger than life. This parade was started in 1927 and takes place in New York annually on the day.
The landmark year of 2000 was designated as the International Year of Thanksgiving, and it was the first time the General Assembly of the UN had unanimously voted in favour of a spiritual idea.
The common traditional dinner menu consists of turkey, mashed potatoes, olives and cranberries. Baked pumpkin and apple pie covered with heaps of whipped topping seems to be the most popular choice for dessert.
It sure is good to count the blessings rather than dwell on the downside, right?
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