The 4th Thursday of November is celebrated as Thanksgiving in the United States.
During this time, families, friends and loved ones come together to give thanks for their blessing in the world. The main activity of the day is a large dinner. Families prepare food and before eating discuss what they are thankful for. The center piece of the dinner is a large turkey. Other traditional foods that accompany the turkey are mashed potatoes, squash, cranberry sauce and corn. For dessert we have pumpkin pie.
Most Americans recognize the first Thanksgiving as being held in 1621 by the Pilgrims in Plymouth with the Wampanoag tribe of Native Americans. There were 13 pilgrims and 90 Native Americans who gave thanks for their crops. In 1863 during the Civil War, Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a National Holiday and it has been held ever since.
My mother, grandmother and aunts bake the best pies. I will miss them today as I teach classes and think about my family gathering, children playing, aunts and uncles cooking and cousins wrestling back in the USA.
What are you thankful for?
I am thankful for my family, my health, the opportunity to live and teach in Brazil, and the rice and beans I will eat tonight.
Thanksgiving is not a celebration for us in Brazil. It has to do with the history of the USA then we do not celebrate it. Here we usually have a holyday on September 7th. it is to remind our independence. In the past schools used to prepare a parade on the streets marching, but nowadays there is just a holyday without much celebration.
ReplyDeleteElisa