What is Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving Day is an important holiday for Americans. On the fourth Thursday of November every year, American families hold a rich thanksgiving dinner. The most common traditional foods are turkey, pumpkin pie and Indian pudding made of corn flour. On this day, some Americans go on family trips or visit relatives and friends to enjoy their family. During Thanksgiving, costume parades, theatrical performances, shooting, target shooting and other sports competitions will be held in urban and rural areas of the United States. Some American families, religious organizations and charities also provide free turkey banquets for the poor, orphans and vagrants, so that those unfortunate people can also get a human warmth during Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving originated from early immigrants from Plymouth, Massachusetts. These immigrants were called Puritans when they were in Britain. Because they were dissatisfied with the incomplete religious reform of the Church of England and the political repression and religious persecution by the King and the Church of England, these Puritans left the Church of England and left for Holland. Later, they decided to move to the desolate land on the other side of the Atlantic, hoping to live freely in accordance with their wishes.

In September 162, the ship "may flower" left England with 12 Puritans and their families for the North American continent. After more than two months of hard sailing, it landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and settled down from then on. In the first winter, due to lack of food, cold weather, epidemic diseases and overwork, more than half of these Puritans died at once. The following spring, Masasuode, the chief of the local Indian tribe, led the kind-hearted Indians, gave the Puritans grain seeds and taught them to hunt, grow crops and fish. With the help of Indians, the Puritans had a bumper harvest that year. William Bradford, the first governor, suggested setting up a festival to celebrate the harvest and thank God for his gift. At the same time, I also want to take this festival to strengthen the harmonious relationship between whites and Indians. On Thursday in late November, 1621, the Puritans and 9 Indians brought by Massasod got together to celebrate the first Thanksgiving in American history. Male Puritans went out hunting and catching turkeys, while women made delicious food with corn, pumpkin, sweet potato and fruit at home. In this way, white people and Indians ate, talked and sang and danced around the bonfire, and the whole celebration lasted for three days.

Since then, Europeans who immigrated to the United States have basically followed the form of the first Thanksgiving celebration on the North American continent. In 1789, the first president of the United States, Washington, officially stipulated that November 26th was the first Thanksgiving day celebrated by the whole country. However, for a long time, each state has set a holiday date according to its own situation. In 1941, with the approval of President Roosevelt, the United States Congress passed a bill declaring the fourth Thursday of November as the national Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving Day, just like Hong Kong people spend the winter, Americans will rush home for the holiday to celebrate this important day of family reunion.

My English tutor, Mrs Saleski, told me, "My son can't go back to new york this year, so I'm going to fly to Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with them. "I asked her," Is it difficult to buy a plane ticket? She said happily, "My son has arranged it for me. I will stay in Chicago this time until the beginning of the new year, so I can't take remedial classes for two weeks. I replied happily, "No problem, let's continue after you come back.

Holding her thick glasses, she looked out of the window and said, "The history of Thanksgiving can be traced back to the 17th century. At that time, Americans celebrated the harvest together to thank God, especially after the harvest. Later, it was officially designated as a holiday, and this day also marked the beginning of the lively atmosphere of American holidays. There will be colorful decorations everywhere, and there will be a parade in new york. You must not miss it! "I replied," I'm going to join in the fun, too! This is my first Thanksgiving in America, and I am very excited! Although I can't get together with my family, I will have dinner with some friends to share the festive atmosphere.

On the morning of Thanksgiving Day, the weather was still cold. I couldn't open my eyes because of the cold north wind. The cold penetrated into my shoes from the ground and then walked into my body. It turned out that the feeling of "cold" was so profound that I had never experienced it when I was in Hong Kong. I made an appointment with some friends to watch the balloon parade in Manhattan. Since it will only be held once a year, even if the weather is cold, we can't miss this grand event. At about 9 o'clock, we have arrived at 57th Street, ready to wait for a while, and then we can watch the parade. We thought we could find the best seat. Unexpectedly, the streets are already full of onlookers, and some people in the front row are still sitting in sleeping bags. It seems that they have been waiting here for a long time. We really came too late and had to wait behind the crowd.

The Thanksgiving Day Parade, organized by Macy's Department Store, is the most special large-scale activity among many parade projects in new york, attracting millions of Americans and overseas tourists every year. Those giant balloons shuttled over the bustling streets of new york, including familiar cartoon characters such as Spider-Man, Garfield, Big Stupid Dog, Stupid Leopard and delicate Miss Bridget, which made many adults and children look up with joy. When I was in Hong Kong, I often saw this great event on the TV screen. I didn't expect to have the opportunity to see it in person today. I am really happy!

The parade started from 77th Street and Broadway, and walked along the street to Macy's on 34th Street. The onlookers waited patiently on both sides of the street. At first, I thought that the big balloon was dragged by a car. Until now, I didn't know that it was controlled by dozens of workers. The poles of the tether pulled the huge balloon, and everyone held the pole high. As they walked, they pulled the balloon, hanging it in the air like a kite and flying slowly, making cute cartoon characters come alive in Manhattan.

When the parade passed by us, everyone cheered and shouted like children. The cartoon stars seemed to fall from the sky in mid-air. At this moment, I felt so close to them that I no longer looked at them through the TV doll box or comic books. There are many floats in the procession, such as Sesame Street, Cats stage play, Statue of Liberty, Popeye and Indians, etc. The creaking sound of wooden wheels is mixed with the noise of the crowd. Between the floats, there are even more beautiful university cheerleaders and orchestras, and the sound of drums and beautiful dances make the scene more lively. Occasionally, there are some magicians and clowns who send balloons. As they walk, they play with children, creating a lot of happy atmosphere.

After the parade, the crowd dispersed one after another, and we were hungry, so everyone took the subway to Chinatown for lunch. Along the way, I saw that many shops were closed, and only some restaurants and souvenir shops were still open. Wendy, a friend, said that in the past, most shops would be closed on Thanksgiving Day, so that clerks could enjoy the holiday. However, in recent years, many shops run by Asians have opened during the holidays in order to win more business, and other shops are forced to open as usual because of the large number of patrons. In fact, it is no wonder that Thanksgiving Day is a good time for some restaurants and shops. There are millions of people watching the parade alone. After the parade, they will find places to eat and drink or go to department stores to buy Christmas gifts. Therefore, shops that open on this day are really worried about not having customers.

in the evening, we visited Wendy's house, and everyone brought homemade food to share. Wendy's elder sister cooked a big and delicious turkey early in the morning. I said delicious because she used the method of making China's fried chicken with soy sauce as a marinade, and then put some vegetables, ham and medicinal materials into the turkey's stomach, so that the turkey was permeated with a strong flavor and was no longer rough and unpalatable. This is the first time I have tasted such a fresh and sweet turkey dinner. Everyone is chatting while eating, just like gathering in their own home. I didn't expect to munch like this in a foreign land. From this point of view, we should also thank God that we can enjoy the Thanksgiving Day of Americans.