Transcript Thanksgiving

• Today, families
celebrate Thanksgiving
by eating together
• Normally there is
turkey, stuffing,
mashed potatoes and
gravy, yams, corn,
cranberry sauce, and
pumpkin pie.
• It is a federal holiday, so there is no school for
any children. Also the banks, post offices, and
government offices are closed.
• It is is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in
November.
• The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621
when the pilgrims invited the Wompanoag
Indians of Massachusetts to a three-day feast to
thank God for the autumn harvest.
The Pilgrims were a small group of English people
who sailed to North America in order to start a
new life.
They were in search of religious freedom.
They sailed on a ship called the Mayflower and
landed on Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts
• The Pilgrims celebrated the harvest but more
importantly they celebrated surviving their
first brutal winter in New England.
• They were thankful for the food they had.
• Now as a tradition at Thanksgiving people
reflect on what they are grateful for in their
lives and say grace before eating.
Parades
• Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been a tradition in New
York city since 1924
• It begins at 9 am and lasts for 3 hours
• More than 44 million people watch the parade on television
each year
• The arrival of Santa Clause at the end of the parade marks the
beginning of the Christmas season
Football
• Watching professional football on Thanksgiving has been an
American tradition for over a century (began in1902)
• Normally, high school games are played between rival
teams and the towns show up for the “Turkey Bowls”
• Family’s often play big games either before or after the
meal
Pardoning the Turkey
• Since President George Bush in 1989, 2
turkeys each year have been pardoned by the
president.
• Instead of being roasted for dinner, they are
sent to DisneyLand where they attend the
parade and then live for the rest of their lives.
• Last year Obama pardoned his first turkey,
Courage from Goldsboro, NC.
“Black Friday”
• The day after Thanksgiving is usually a day off,
especially for schools.
• This day has become a day of intense shopping, mostly
for Christmas presents, and there are big sales.
• People wake up as early as 4 am to get ready to shop.