Thanksgiving Day

The day after Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated annually in the U.S. on the fourth Thursday of November. In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October (harvest occurs earlier because the temperature difference). Most people celebrate the day of Thanksgiving gathering with family and friends for a traditional feast. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the settlers and American Indians of New England colony in the early 17th century, with the intention of thanking God for the good harvest. Its true origin, however, dates back to the harvest festivals traditional in many parts of the world since ancient times. Today, the day after Thanksgiving is a celebration of domestic life centered on home and family. Public celebrations the day after Thanksgiving usually show the connection of the holiday with the settlers. The representations and parades usually have children dressed as then, with hats and dark clothing, and shoes with big silver buckles. Many of the images associated with the day of Thanksgiving has its origins in ancient traditions of celebrations of the fall harvest. For example the Cornucopia (a horn is placed where many flowers and fruits) is a typical symbol of Thanksgiving, representing abundance, dating from medieval festivals crops. In many communities the churches are also decorated with fruits, flowers and plants, such as decorations which make European communities for centuries during harvest in the fall. According to the significance of celebrating a good harvest, prepare and eat a big meal is the centerpiece of most celebrations Actions Grace Dishes include stuffed Peru, cranberry sauce, squash (see yesterday's post about the squash ), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie (see Saturday's post about the pie). These are simple dishes that preserve the memory of the rustic way of life and virtuous settlers. Additionally, many of these foods are native to North America, emphasizing the generosity of nature which received its first settlers in their new land. Newer immigrant groups added their dishes to the menu for Thanksgiving, like the Italians, which included pasta and wine at the banquet. Many Americans make the digestion of the banquet watching football games on television.

Traditionally two NFL teams, the Detroit Lions and the Cowboys in Dallas, playing the day after Thanksgiving. A large audience of these games on the holiday became more football tradition of Thanksgiving.

The date of the holiday has changed several times and was only nationally established after the Civil War, and was slow to be celebrated in the South because the people suspected that the holiday was more a cultural imposition of the north. Only from the late 19th century the family call holiday has become stronger than the rivalries, and the holiday began to be widely celebrated. It is considered the most American of holidays, by the millions of immigrants who come to the U.S. every year. In the 20th century, many families now live in cities, and trade began offering discounts and special promotions on the day following the holiday, which is now known as the first day of Christmas shopping. Many stores organize parades, including Macy's, New York, which attracts millions of people.

Curiosities on Thanksgiving Day: More than 200 years later, President Abraham Lincoln declared then the last Thursday of November as a National Day of Thanksgiving, but it was only in 1941 that Congress finally became the "Thanksgiving Day" a national holiday. In 2001, the U.S. Post Office issued a commemorative stamp for the day after Thanksgiving. Designed by artist Margaret Cusack in a style similar to a traditional folk art of embroidery, the stamp depicted a cornucopia filled with fruits and vegetables, with the phrase "We give thanks." According to Cranberry Growers Association of Cape Cod, the three fruits that are native to the U.S. are completely: Cranberry, Blueberry and Concord Grape, which are also widely consumed Thanksgiving Day In 2011 aired on American TV channel ABC, a special day of Thanksgiving conceived and directed by Lady Gaga, titled "A Very Gaga Thanksgiving." The special was watched by 5.749 million viewers and was the best-rated ABC in

five years. The anterios was a special singer Beyonc.

O dia de Ao de Graas um feriado comemorado anualmente nos EUA na quarta quinta-feira de novembro. No Canad, Thanksgiving comemorado na segunda segundafeira de outubro (a colheita acontece mais cedo por causa da diferena de temperatura). A maioria das pessoas celebra o dia de Ao de Graas se reunindo com a famlia e os amigos para um banquete tradicional. O primeiro Thanksgiving foi comemorado pelos colonos e ndios americanos da colnia Nova Inglaterra no incio do sculo 17, com a inteno de agradecer a Deus pela tima colheita. Sua verdadeira origem, entretanto, remonta aos festivais de colheita tradicionais em muitas partes do mundo desde tempos antigos. Hoje em dia o dia de Ao de Graas uma comemorao da vida domstica, centrado na casa e na famlia. Celebraes pblicas do dia de Ao de Graas normalmente mostram a ligao do feriado com os colonos. As representaes e desfiles normalmente contam com crianas vestidas como naquela poca, com chapus e roupas escuras, e sapatos com grandes fivelas prateadas. Muitas das imagens associadas ao dia de Ao de Graas tem origem em tradies antigas de celebraes da colheita de outono. Por exemplo a Cornucpia (um chifre onde so colocadas muitas flores e frutas) um tpico smbolo do Thanksgiving, representando a abundncia, que data de festivais de colheitas medievais. Em muitas comunidades as igrejas so tambm decoradas com frutas, flores e plantas, tais quais as decoraes que comunidades europias fazem por sculos durante a colheita no outono. De acordo com o significado de celebrar uma tima colheita, preparar e comer uma grande refeio a parte central da maioria das celebraes de Aes de Graa. Os pratos incluem Peru recheado, molho de cranberry, squash (veja o post de ontem sobre o squash), pur de batatas, batata-doce e torta de abbora (veja o post de sbado sobre a torta). So pratos simples que preservam a memria do modo de vida rstico e virtuoso dos colonos. Adicionalmente, muitas destas comidas so nativas da Amrica do Norte, enfatizando a generosidade da natureza que recebeu os primeiros colonos em sua nova terra. Grupos mais recentes de imigrantes acrescentaram seus pratos tpicos ao menu de Ao de Graas, como os italianos, que incluram massas e vinhos ao banquete. Muitos americanos fazem a digesto do banquete assistindo a jogos de futebol na televiso. Tradicionalmente dois times da NFL, os Lions de Detroit e os Cowboys, de Dallas, jogam no dia de Ao de Graas. A grande audincia desses jogos no feriado tornaram o futebol mais uma tradio do Thanksgiving. A data do feriado mudou vrias vezes e s foi nacionalmente instituda aps a guerra civil, e demorou a ser comemorado no sul, pois a populao desconfiava que o feriado fosse mais uma imposio cultural do norte. Somente a partir do final do sculo 19 o apelo familiar do feriado passou a ser mais forte do que as rivalidades, e o feriado comeou a ser largamente celebrado. considerado o mais americano dos feriados, pelos milhes de imigrantes que chegam aos EUA todos os anos.

No sculo 20, muitas famlias passaram a morar nas cidades, e o comrcio passou a oferecer descontos e promoes especiais no dia seguinte ao feriado, que agora conhecido como o primeiro dia das compras de Natal. Muitas lojas organizam desfiles, entre elas a Macys, de Nova Iorque, que atrai milhes de pessoas.

Curiosidades sobre o Thanksgiving Day: Mais de 200 anos depois, o presidente Abraham Lincoln declarou ento a ltima quinta feira de novembro como Dia Nacional de Ao de Graas, mas foi somente em 1941 que o Congresso finalmente tornou o Thanksgiving Day um feriado nacional. Em 2001, os correios dos EUA emitiram um selo comemorativo para o Dia de Ao de Graas. Concebido pela artista Margaret Cusack em um estilo parecido com um tradicional bordado de arte folclrica, o selo retratava uma cornucpia cheia de frutos e produtos hortcolas, com a frase Damos Graas. Segundo a Associao de Cultivadores de Cranberry de Cape Cod, as trs frutas que so completamente nativas dos EUA so: Cranberry, Blueberry e o Concord Grape, as quais so tambm bastante consumidas Thanksgiving Day. Em 2011 foi exibido no canal de TV americana, ABC, um especial do Dia de Ao de Graas concebido e dirigido por Lady Gaga, intitulado A Very Gaga Thanksgiving. O especial foi visto por 5,749 milhes de espectadores e foi o melhor com classificao ABC em cinco anos. O anterios era um especial da cantora Beyonc.