Thanksgiving Day in America is a time to offer thanks, of family gatherings and holiday meals. A time of turkeys, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. A time for Indian corn, holiday parades and giant balloons.
Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November, which this year (2009) is November 26th.
The History of Thanksgiving
Throughout history mankind has celebrated the bountiful harvest with thanksgiving ceremonies.
Before the establishment of formal religions many ancient farmers believed that their crops contained spirits which caused the crops to grow and die. Many believed that these spirits would be released when the crops were harvested and they had to be destroyed or they would take revenge on the farmers who harvested them. Some of the harvest festivals celebrated the defeat of these spirits.
Harvest festivals and thanksgiving celebrations were held by the ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Hebrews, the Chinese, and the Egyptians.
Thanksgiving in The United States
In 1621, after a hard and devastating first year in the New World the Pilgrim's fall harvest was very successful and plentiful. There was corn, fruits, vegetables, along with fish which was packed in salt, and meat that was smoke cured over fires. They found they had enough food to put away for the winter.
The Pilgrims had beaten the odds. They built homes in the wilderness, they raised enough crops to keep them alive during the long coming winter, and they were at peace with their Indian neighbors. Their Governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving that was to be shared by all the colonists and the neighboring Native American Indians.
The custom of an annually celebrated thanksgiving, held after the harvest, continued through the years. During the American Revolution (late 1770's) a day of national thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress.
In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom. By the middle of the 19th century many other states also celebrated a Thanksgiving Day. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of thanksgiving. Since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation, usually designating the fourth Thursday of each November as the holiday.
Dictionary Entries:
o Gatherings (to gather) – verb - when people or animals gather, they come together in a group.
o Stuffing (to stuff) – verb - to completely fill a container with something; (informal) to push something into a small space, often quickly or in a careless way; to fill the body of a dead animal with special material so that it looks as if it is still alive.
o Bountiful – adjective - large in amount; generous in giving to others.
o Harvest – noun - the time of year when crops are cut and collected from the fields, or the activity of cutting and collecting them, or the crops which are cut and collected.
o Establishment – noun - the process of starting or creating something, for example an organization.
o Crops – noun - (the total amount collected of) a plant such as a grain, fruit or vegetable grown in large amounts
o Devastating (to devastate) – verb - to destroy a place or thing completely or cause great damage.
o Devastating – adjective- causing a lot of damage or destruction.
o Wilderness – noun - an area of land that has not been used to grow crops or had towns and roads built on it, especially because it is difficult to live in as a result of its extremely cold or hot weather or bad earth; an outside area in which plants are left to grow naturally or untidily.
o Raised (to raise) – verb - to take care of a person, or an animal or plant, until they are completely grown.
o Issued (to issue) – verb - to produce or provide something official.
Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November, which this year (2009) is November 26th.
The History of Thanksgiving
Throughout history mankind has celebrated the bountiful harvest with thanksgiving ceremonies.
Before the establishment of formal religions many ancient farmers believed that their crops contained spirits which caused the crops to grow and die. Many believed that these spirits would be released when the crops were harvested and they had to be destroyed or they would take revenge on the farmers who harvested them. Some of the harvest festivals celebrated the defeat of these spirits.
Harvest festivals and thanksgiving celebrations were held by the ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Hebrews, the Chinese, and the Egyptians.
Thanksgiving in The United States
In 1621, after a hard and devastating first year in the New World the Pilgrim's fall harvest was very successful and plentiful. There was corn, fruits, vegetables, along with fish which was packed in salt, and meat that was smoke cured over fires. They found they had enough food to put away for the winter.
The Pilgrims had beaten the odds. They built homes in the wilderness, they raised enough crops to keep them alive during the long coming winter, and they were at peace with their Indian neighbors. Their Governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving that was to be shared by all the colonists and the neighboring Native American Indians.
The custom of an annually celebrated thanksgiving, held after the harvest, continued through the years. During the American Revolution (late 1770's) a day of national thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress.
In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom. By the middle of the 19th century many other states also celebrated a Thanksgiving Day. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of thanksgiving. Since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation, usually designating the fourth Thursday of each November as the holiday.
Dictionary Entries:
o Gatherings (to gather) – verb - when people or animals gather, they come together in a group.
o Stuffing (to stuff) – verb - to completely fill a container with something; (informal) to push something into a small space, often quickly or in a careless way; to fill the body of a dead animal with special material so that it looks as if it is still alive.
o Bountiful – adjective - large in amount; generous in giving to others.
o Harvest – noun - the time of year when crops are cut and collected from the fields, or the activity of cutting and collecting them, or the crops which are cut and collected.
o Establishment – noun - the process of starting or creating something, for example an organization.
o Crops – noun - (the total amount collected of) a plant such as a grain, fruit or vegetable grown in large amounts
o Devastating (to devastate) – verb - to destroy a place or thing completely or cause great damage.
o Devastating – adjective- causing a lot of damage or destruction.
o Wilderness – noun - an area of land that has not been used to grow crops or had towns and roads built on it, especially because it is difficult to live in as a result of its extremely cold or hot weather or bad earth; an outside area in which plants are left to grow naturally or untidily.
o Raised (to raise) – verb - to take care of a person, or an animal or plant, until they are completely grown.
o Issued (to issue) – verb - to produce or provide something official.
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário