tell me all about Thanksgiving!

Like you, I love to learn about other countries and their holidays or customs. I find it really interesting. A friend of mine gave me all the information about Canada which I saved to my hard drive just to have. Thanksgiving started when the Indians and Pilgrims made a truce and came together in harmony. It was a huge feast between the two groups in which they became friends. Now a days it's a celebration of family to express thankfulness, gratitude, and appreciation to God, family and friends for which all have been blessed of material possessions and relationships. We usually cook a turkey however, some cook ham. It just depends on the family. We have turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, rolls, corn on the cob and another vegetable, and what ever else one decides to have. The whole family gets together to enjoy the meal and remissness the good times of the past and present. After dinner, coffee is served because turkey has a natural sedative in it and everybody who's eaten it has gotten pretty sleepy so coffee is a way to wake everybody up again along with the fact that coffee is so tasty after dinner. lol

In Canada we celebrate it the 2nd Monday in October (Oct 11 this year) and the US celebrate it last or fourth Thursday in November (Nov 25 this year). Many people take the Friday off and many stores have big sales. So what is up with these Bank holidays in the UK?

Well, here in Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving in October and the US celebrates it in November. So, since I live in a border town(Canada/US border)....we hear and see a lot about Thanksgiving for 2 months. In my family we gather to have turkey, vegetables, deserts and sit back and relax afterwards. Sadly, we don't talk about what we are thankful about. :(

I see that you got a lot of history behind the Thanksgiving Holiday, so I won't repeat what has already been said. Thanksgiving, like Christmas for most people in the U.S. is a change to get together with family and celebrate and have fun. In the U.S. they have a wonderfully famous parade in NYC called the Macy's Day Parade. They have big floats and huge hellium balloons....and I mean HUGE!!! It is televised on t.v channels across the country. We don't live close to New York, but we watch it ever year on T.V. That usually comes on early in the day. Of course then we have our Thanksgiving dinner. Most people traditionally have turkey on this day, however, I am sure some people may have something else. Of course all the sides tend to be different according to certain family members preferences. I always try to add a new side ever year, just to make things someone unique. In our family we have a tradition around the dinner table to say one thing that you are thankful for. The answers over the years have varied usually depending on the age (and sanity) of the person answering. After dinner, everyone usually sits around and watches football and some of us take a nap from eating too much!

It is supposed to celebrate how the Pilgrims came and ate with the Native Americans (before everything went to hell and their land was stolen and their people massacred). Mostly it is just a time for us to eat even more, for family to get together, and for people to be thankful for what they have in life.

I found a link to answer your query. Thanksgiving was started by the first pilgrim settlers, who fled England to avoid religious persecution. When they arrived at the New World as they called the Americas, many had got sick and passed. An Indian tribe made friends with them and they taught them how to plant corn and other crops. There was a drought and the crops did not do so well. The mayor of the town declared a day of fasting and prayer for rain, and they did get rain. To celebrate the Pilgrims held a feast day to honor God for their blessings, and this day is known today as Thanksgiving. Thank you for your question. In the US we learn about this in an early grade, and I only remember the Pilgrims celebrating and the Indians being there. lol. http://www.holidays.net/thanksgiving/pilgrims.htm http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/feast/ And here is a very long history of the Pilgrims and Indian tribes they would be surrounded by when they settled in America: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mosmd/#part2 CONTINUING PEACEFUL RELATIONS During the next few months, the Native Americans and the colonists worked together to till and plant the first successful crops. The first feast of Thanksgiving, in October of 1621, was a harvest festival filled with fellowship, good food and games. The Indians and the colonists shared the fruits of their labor: venison, duck, turkey, corn and pumpkin.