Thanksgiving Facts

 Thanksgiving is mostly observed in Canada and the United States. It's a day to reflect on the previous year's benefits as well as the harvest. Thanksgiving was formerly a religious and cultural holiday, but it is now observed by many individuals in Canada and the United States, regardless of their religious or cultural views. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada and the fourth Thursday in November in the United States. Similar holidays occur in various nations and civilizations throughout the globe, although they go by different names and are celebrated on different days. The turkeys are the only ones that are unlikely to partake in today's Thanksgiving feast. Gratitude ceremonies are prevalent in virtually all faiths, particularly after harvests.

Thanksgiving Facts to Consider:

The first Canadian Thanksgiving is believed to have taken place in 1578, when explorer Martin Frobisher celebrated his survival of his voyage from England with a feast.

The earliest Thanksgiving festivities in Canada, according to some, were held by French immigrants. These immigrants, who arrived in New France with explorer Samuel de Champlain in the 1600s, celebrated good harvests with lavish thanksgiving feasts. They also shared their meals with the locals.

Thanksgiving is a statutory holiday in much of Canada.

In 1621, the first Thanksgiving in the United States took place in Plymouth, Massachusetts. A bountiful harvest inspired this feast, which was observed by pilgrims and puritans alike.

The harvest feast did not become an annual event until the 1660s.

The President of the United States pardons a turkey every year. This fortunate bird will live out the remainder of its days in freedom, rather than on a turkey plate.

The Wampanoag Indians taught the pilgrims how to farm the land when they landed on the Mayflower. In 1621, these Native Americans were invited to the first Thanksgiving.

In 1621, the first Thanksgiving was held over three days.

Lobster, chestnuts, onions, leeks, dried fruit, cabbage, carrots, chicken, rabbit, honey, maple syrup, and other foods were served during the first Thanksgiving feast.

At the original Thanksgiving feast, there were no mashed potatoes, pumpkin pies, or even corn on the cob.

Sarah Josepha Hale, the author of Mary Had a Little Lamb, is believed to have convinced Abraham Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a national holiday.

Abraham Lincoln established Thanksgiving Day as a public holiday on the final Thursday of November in 1863.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade first took place in the 1920s and is still going strong today.

Thanksgiving in the United States consumes about 280 million turkeys.

In the United States, the Friday following Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday, and it is the first official Christmas shopping day.

Even if turkeys wanted to flee before Thanksgiving, they couldn't since they couldn't fly. Turkeys reared for commercial purposes are unable to fly.

Other countries that celebrate Thanksgiving include Germany, which has a Harvest Thanksgiving Festival in early October; Grenada, which has a Thanksgiving Day on October 25th; Korea, which has a Korean Thanksgiving Day in late September or early October; Japan, which has a Labor Thanksgiving on November 23rd; and Liberia, which has a Thanksgiving Day on November 1st.