Thanksgiving meaning (what is it, concept and definition)

What is Thanksgiving:

Thanksgiving is called the day that is traditionally dedicated to express our gratitude to God.

As such, it is an annual celebration, held on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States, and the second Monday in October in Canada. Its original name in English is Thanksgiving Day , and in French Jour de l'Action de grâce .

In this sense, it is a celebration practiced fundamentally in the countries of Anglo-Saxon culture in North America, although it has spread to Latin American nations, such as Puerto Rico, where there is a strong North American influence. Although it is a celebration of Christian origin, today it is considered a secularized holiday.

The Thanksgiving feast, as such, involves gathering family and friends to share a feast. The typical main course is turkey, roasted or baked.

According to history, Thanksgiving Day is a fusion of the harvest festivals, celebrated by European settlers, and the end-of-harvest celebrations also held by North American Aborigines.

It is said that its origin dates back to 1621, in the Plymouth colony, when the settlers, after spending a winter full of hardships and privations, were helped by the indigenous people, who took pity on their situation and offered them help in the work. cultivation, hunting and fishing in the following spring.

So, in the fall of the same year, the settlers offered a banquet of thanks for the good harvest, to which they invited the indigenous people.

It was President Abraham Lincoln who decreed the last Thursday in November as a national holiday for the celebration of Thanksgiving. However, in 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt redefined the date, placing it on the fourth Thursday in November.

Traditionally, too, the Thanksgiving celebration precedes the opening of the holiday shopping season, known as “Black Friday” or Black Friday .