Thanksgiving is a major holiday celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday of November in major countries such as the United States, Canada, and some islands in the Caribbean and Liberia.
It is also an official holiday for all statutory workers in the US and Canada. However, in Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated earlier than in other countries, usually on the second Monday of October.
The Origin of Thanksgiving Day
Around the 16th - 17th centuries, some Catholics and Puritans in England were forced to convert to his religion by the then emperor. These people did not accept and were imprisoned. After being detained for a while, they were handed over and questioned again, but they still refused to convert, so they were forced to leave England.
Then they moved to the Netherlands to live. After a while, they quickly realized that they could not assimilate into this country's culture and were afraid that their descendants would lose their roots, so they continued to immigrate to the Americas on a ship called is Mayflower.
The people on this ship (about 102 people), later known as the Pilgrims, arrived at the Plymouth Colony in New England during the winter. Hungry and cold, half of them did not survive the harsh winter.
In the spring, they were fortunate to meet kind Indians who gave them some food. These same Indians taught them how to survive in this land such as how to grow crops, hunt, ...
When the Pilgrims were able to fend for themselves, they held a party to thank God for allowing them to live to this day, they invited the Indians to eat and drink together. Since then, every year the descendants of the Pilgrims have always celebrated thanksgiving for the good things that have come to life.
History and Meaning of Thanksgiving Day
History of Thanksgiving Day
For North Americans or Canadians, the first Thanksgiving took place in 1578, celebrated by Martin Frobisher and his expedition in Newfoundland to thank God for keeping them alive on their journey. long and stormy from England. However, some also think that Thanksgiving may have taken place earlier (circa 1541).
In America, the first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621 in the Colony of Plymouth, in present-day Massachusetts, after a good harvest. And this is said to be the official origin of Thanksgiving day because of its true meaning.
Meaning of Thanksgiving Day
Initially, Thanksgiving Day was celebrated with the meaning of thanking God for creating a source of life and giving people a peaceful and prosperous life, without wars and droughts.
By the middle of the 19th century, the internal tension in the United States, which could cause civil war, was that Thanksgiving Day was celebrated as a campaign to build solidarity.
Today, Thanksgiving is considered a day for family members to reunite and get closer together after nearly a year of hard work and study. Under the candlelight on the Thanksgiving table, the members often hold hands, close their eyes and silently thank God for the blessings and pray for a good and lucky future.
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