The Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in
the United States every year on the fourth Thursday in November. On this
day the American families gather and enjoy the Thanksgiving feast, which
includes Turkey, with all the trimmings. They also offer
Thanksgiving prayers to God on
this day and sing songs to praise Him. Thanksgiving Day 2008 will be
celebrated in the America on the fourth
Thursday in the month of November. The date is 27th November, 2008.
History of American Thanksgiving
The first
Thanksgiving Day , set aside for the special purpose of prayer and
celebrations, was decreed by Governor William Bradford in July 30, 1623.
There were harvest festivals, or days of thanking God for plentiful
crops because that year the Pilgrim's fall harvest was very successful
and plentiful after a period of drought. There was corn, fruits,
vegetables, along with fish which was packed in salt, and meat that was
smoke cured over fires. The Governor proclaimed a day of thanksgiving
that was to be shared by all the colonists and the neighboring Native
American Indians.
The event, however, was a one-time celebration and was not intended to
be an annual festival. It was not even repeated the following year. It
was only after 55 years that another Thanksgiving Day was officially
proclaimed. The Governing Council of Charlestown, Massachusetts convened
on June 20, 1676 to weigh how to best express thanks for the good
fortune that had secured the establishment of their community. By
unanimous vote, Edward Rawson (the Clerk of the Council) was instructed
to announce June 29 as a Day of Thanksgiving that year. But this time
also the event proved to be just a one-time event.
Then the Continental
Congress suggested a day of national thanksgiving during the
American Revolution in late 1770's. In 1817 New York State adopted
Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom, and by the middle of the 19th
century many other states also did the same.
In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of
thanksgiving. Since then each president has issued a
Thanksgiving Day proclamation,
usually designating the fourth Thursday of each November as the holiday
for Thanksgiving in America.
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is another attraction of the
Thanksgiving Day in America. This parade is held every year in New York
city and audience enjoy its broadcast also.
  
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