What kind of holiday is Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving Day: everything you need to know about the holiday When is Thanksgiving Day in England

The holiday season in North America runs from October until New Year's Day. It opens on Thanksgiving Day. Rituals dedicated to the harvest existed in different countries. Germany has its own Thanksgiving Day, but it has a completely different history that dates back to Roman times. For the American holiday, about which here we'll talk, this tradition has no relation. In the New World, this event symbolizes more the salvation of the colonists from death than the autumn harvest of a rich harvest.

History of Thanksgiving in America

The English pilgrims went to a new continent in search of a good life. But if it weren’t for the help of their Indian neighbors, the inexperienced Europeans would hardly have lasted long here. It was they who taught the colonists to hunt local game and grow corn and other useful plants. This enabled people to adapt and get a good harvest in 1621. The settlers decided to thank the Lord and organized a holiday in his honor. They even invited savage Indians to attend, who visited their new neighbors as guests of honor. Although the new Americans soon forgot about their hospitality, and a couple of years later the warlike local leader was beheaded. This is a brief history of American Thanksgiving.

From an unofficial holiday, a hundred years later it became a national event that is widely celebrated throughout America. In the USA it is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. In Canada, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated a little earlier - on the second Monday. It was first celebrated in 1578, in honor of the rescue of Martin Frobisher's naval expedition, which was searching for the Northwest Passage, from starvation.

Symbols and traditional dishes of Thanksgiving

Chronicles claim that at that time the most popular meat dish was venison, but now every American on Thanksgiving Day certainly buys fatty meat. This dish is most often served with potatoes, pumpkin pie and cranberry jelly. Many people take turkey to churches, as well as to soup kitchens. By the way, in many enterprises on the eve of the holiday, employers distribute carcasses of this bird to their workers completely free of charge, in the form of traditional gift. In the United States, on this day colorful holiday parades are held in many cities, with large, cheerful processions of people in Indian costumes and ancient outfits of the first settlers.

If you put together a table of ranks for American holidays, Christmas would be in first place, and Thanksgiving in second. This is America's favorite holiday and has great significance. Thanksgiving Day in America is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. The official name of the holiday is “ Thanksgiving Day“. However, Americans themselves often lovingly or ironically call it “ Turkey day “.

Everyone probably understands where the second name comes from - from American films we learned that on this day, citizens of the United States traditionally treat themselves to roasted turkey meat. How did the official name of the holiday come about – ““? Who is grateful to whom and for what? What is the history of this holiday?

Thanksgiving Day in America: the history of the holiday

The first Thanksgiving Day was organized back in 1621. It was organized by English colonists from the Plymouth Colony. The fact is that the first pilgrim settlers faced many difficulties in the new territory. People were poorly equipped, did not know the peculiarities of local natural conditions and could not obtain food for themselves in sufficient quantities. As a result, many of the colonists (according to some sources, more than half of the colony) died in the first winter. The main reason was malnutrition and, as a consequence, the occurrence of various diseases. The cold also played a role. The Indians helped the white colonists survive by teaching the strangers how to sow corn, beans, pumpkins, etc. From the Indians the colonists learned to make maple syrup.

The colonists prepared thoroughly for the second winter, but the winter promised to be difficult. Just before it started, a celebration was organized. According to some historical sources, the holiday was held in honor of a good harvest. People were happy that they were able to prepare much better for the second winter, and therefore there would be no more death from hunger. They regarded this as the help of the Almighty and decided to thank him. And at the same time, his first assistants - the Indians. The colonists invited the leader of the Indian tribe living next door and several dozen of his fellow tribesmen to the celebration. The Indians did not come empty-handed, but with turkeys roasted on the fire.

According to another version, the supplies were still not enough, and as winter approached, the spirit of the colonists began to noticeably decline. To cheer them up, the governor decided to organize a holiday. For the holiday, the colonists, along with the Indians, shot and roasted four turkeys. At the festival, the pilgrims said words of gratitude to their Indian friends and to God. That is, the holiday was a kind of religious ritual.

Since then, it has been held annually before the onset of winter, and traditionally turkeys were cooked on this day. Gradually it became a national holiday in the United States, and in 1863 the president of the country recognized it as an official holiday and determined the day for its celebration - the last Thursday of November. Well, roast turkey has become the main symbol of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanksgiving Day: Traditions

Thanksgiving: festive table. The turkey must be cooked. Besides turkey, traditional Thanksgiving foods include potatoes, cranberry sauce, carrot pie, or pumpkin pie. You can drink it with anything, but red wine is usually served. On this day, it’s not a sin to go a little overboard with the latter, which is what many Americans do.

Thanksgiving Day in America can be imagined without anything, but not without turkey. By the way, in modern America, not everyone buys and cooks their own turkey. Many Americans are given frozen turkeys by generous employers. Well, those who are unlucky with an employer go to the store to buy a turkey.

Some people think ahead and pre-order a fresh turkey from the farm. Presenters healthy image lives order organic turkeys from farms where no hormonal feed is used. Greedy people buy only turkey fillet (breast), lazy people order ready-made turkey from a restaurant. Those who like to hunt hunt turkeys on their own, although this is poaching. In a word, who knows what. But in any case, almost every American will definitely try turkey on Thanksgiving Day. This raises the patriotic spirit of Americans, because they feel incredible unity: everyone eats turkey and says “God Bless America!”

Thanksgiving is a family holiday. Traditionally, it is customary to gather at the parent table. Even if parents live a thousand kilometers away, Americans buy a plane ticket and go to visit the elderly. This is how it is accepted, and indeed among Americans Mom always cooks the best turkey . Half the country is on the road before Thanksgiving, but it's worth it! An American mother will try and carefully prepare for the reception of children, nephews, grandchildren and friends of children who do not have the opportunity to dine with their own parents. The first two or three days after the holiday, it is customary to talk with colleagues, friends and neighbors about how delicious mom’s turkey was. It is also customary to sincerely sympathize with someone who, for whatever reason, did not get a turkey.

Directly on Thanksgiving Day they go to church, and before the meal they say a prayer of thanksgiving for the food. The oldest member of the family, usually a man, cuts the turkey. The first pieces are given to children, then according to seniority. This is not just a tradition that can be ignored - it is an important ritual.

Thanksgiving Day: Celebration Traditions. There is an interesting tradition: the president of the country chooses a turkey for dinner on Thanksgiving Day. At a special ceremony, the President and his wife (or children) are shown two beautiful, specially fed birds - still alive. The President decides which of them will be sacrificed and which will be pardoned and returned to the farm to live as long as possible and die their own death. This action is even broadcast on TV.

And on this day they show good old and new films related to Thanksgiving. There are also colorful street processions and parades, the participants of which wear costumes - cartoon and movie characters or 17th century colonists and Indians. But the rest of the holiday is like a holiday - with festivities, fun, drinking and dancing.

Charity and Thanksgiving. On the eve of this holiday, charity flourishes, as Americans believe that every citizen of their country should receive their portion of turkey. The newspapers publish offers for donations, which will be used to prepare dinner for the homeless and poor. There are even tables for donations in the subway - you can put not only money on them, but also food. All this is distributed to the poor on Thanksgiving Day, and the money is used to buy dinners for the homeless.

Thanksgiving: How to Cook Turkey

Turkey can be baked in many different ways, but it is usually made with stuffing, such as apples or oranges. Be sure to prepare the gravy sauce. Here is one of the original recipes for making apple turkey for Thanksgiving.

Apple turkey: recipe

Ingredients:

• turkey
• bacon - approximately 300-400 g
• chopped onions – 4 cups
• Chopped celery stalks – 3 cups
• Chopped dried (or fresh) apples – 1 cup
• Ground nuts (eg walnuts) – 6 cups
• breadcrumbs – 0.5 kg
• chicken broth – 4 cups
• butter – 0.5 cup
• apple jelly – 1 glass
• apple juice – 1 glass
• white balsamic vinegar - approximately 40 ml
• honey - a quarter cup
• flour – 2-4 tablespoons
• salt - 0.5 teaspoon for glaze, plus to taste for turkey and gravy
• cumin and ground sage – 1-1.5 teaspoons each

Preparing the filling:

Cut the bacon into strips and heat it in the oven in a bowl. The bacon should be crispy but not burnt. The fat will render out of the bacon. Remove the crispy bacon and set it aside. The fat should also be poured into a cup, leaving only a couple of spoons in the bowl. Place onion and celery in a bowl and simmer a little in the oven until golden brown. Remove the bowl, return the crispy bacon strips to it, add spices (cumin and sage to taste), chopped apples, and nuts. Now you need to take half the warm chicken broth (2 cups), dissolve the oil in it and pour it into the bowl. Stir everything. Then you need to add bread crumbs little by little and knead until you get a homogeneous, fairly viscous mass. The filling is ready.

There will be quite a lot of it. Part of the stuffing (about 6-7 cups) should be set aside for stuffing the turkey, and the rest should be baked in the oven in the same pan. You need to bake on low heat, covered with foil, for about 30 minutes. Then without foil for another 10-15 minutes. This bowl of baked stuffing is then placed directly on the table next to the roasted turkey. The stuffing is delicious and is added straight to the plate with the turkey.

To prepare the turkey glaze:

In one bowl you need to stir apple jelly, juice, honey, vinegar and salt. You can prepare the glaze in the oven or on the stove. It is important that the walls of the dishes are thick. The contents are first brought to a boil, then evaporated over low heat with periodic (or better yet, constant) stirring for about 15 minutes. A quarter cup of the resulting glaze is separated for subsequent preparation of gravy. The rest is also put aside for now.

Cooking turkey:

Rinse the carcass, remove the neck and stomach. Then it must be dried with paper or cloth towels both outside and inside (so that the meat remains juicy). Part of the stuffing is filled into the empty neck, the rest of the stuffing is stuffed inside the turkey. Then the turkey is coated with vegetable oil and salt to taste and placed on the grill, breast side up. The neck hole, ends of the wings and diapers are wrapped in foil to prevent burning. The breast and sides of the turkey are coated with the prepared glaze, the bird is covered with foil and goes into the oven for about 2 hours.

After 2 hours, remove the turkey, remove the foil from the breast and thighs, and glaze the turkey again. Then cover it again with foil and bake until fully cooked. Cooking time varies depending on the weight of the bird. On average, it cooks for 3-4 hours over low heat. To determine readiness, you need to pierce the bird in several places with a toothpick - if a clear liquid comes out, then the turkey is ready.

Preparing turkey gravy:

The fat that remains from the bacon must be ground with flour until smooth. Then pour in the remaining chicken broth and the reserved part of the glaze, bring to a boil and turn off - the gravy is ready. Salt is added to taste. If the gravy is too thick, add a little more broth. If it turns out a bit runny, you need to dilute 3 tablespoons of flour in broth or water and pour it a little at a time into the boiling gravy, monitoring the degree of thickening. And so on until the desired consistency is obtained.

Serving:

The turkey is laid out on a flat plate, breast side up. The edges are decorated with fresh herbs. A bowl with separately baked filling and a gravy boat with gravy are placed next to it. Apple Thanksgiving turkey is served with mashed potatoes.

Thanksgiving Day - a national holiday in the USA and Canada, was originally invented to express gratitude to God for the harvest. Now, the motive of the holiday is to express gratitude to your loved ones and friends. Although Thanksgiving is a religious holiday, it is celebrated by many people regardless of their religious and cultural beliefs.

When is Thanksgiving celebrated?

In Canada, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October, and in the United States on the last Thursday in November. There are similar holidays all over the world, but they have different names and are held on different days. In the USA, this holiday is very popular, and it is believed that only turkeys do not celebrate it.

The first Thanksgiving in America was held in Plymouth in 1621. The holiday was organized by pilgrims who arrived from Europe, together with invited local Indians, who helped them survive in unfamiliar conditions. Beginning in the 1660s, the holiday became an annual event.

It is believed that Sarah Joseph Hale, the author of the famous American song “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” convinced Abraham Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. Since 1863, the 16th President has declared the last Thursday in November to be Thanksgiving Day.

Turkey is a traditional dish for Thanksgiving Day. Every year on this day, US residents consume about 280 million turkeys. According to tradition, on the eve of Thanksgiving, the President of the United States pardons one of the turkeys, which guarantees that the bird will spend the rest of its life in peace and will not end up on the holiday table.

The Friday after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. The famous Christmas sales start on this day.

How many holidays are there in the world? This question is almost impossible to answer. And not because there are many of them, but because in every country they celebrate, in addition to traditional ones (for example, Christmas, New Year, ) and others, national ones. Some are quite young, appearing in the 20th century. And others are several centuries old. And what’s surprising is that they continue to be celebrated almost in their original form.

Of course, the people and surroundings have changed, but the very essence of the holiday has remained unchanged. The most striking example is Thanksgiving Day in the USA. Let's tell you in more detail what kind of holiday this is, where it came from and what it means.

Background

In ancient times (of course, we are not talking about very distant centuries) people did not have shops or supermarkets. How to survive? Of course, set up a small vegetable garden near the house (if the size of the land allows, you don’t have to waste time on trifles). As now, the inhabitants of Europe were going through difficult times, and if life became completely unbearable, they left their native lands and went to where, in their opinion, they could safely start everything from scratch. America was such a paradise for Europeans of the New Age.

Far from all religious and political problems, it seemed like the very corner that would shelter exiles and give a chance for new life. Many dreamed of going to this blessed land, but the distance and the raging Atlantic stopped many. The British were the first to decide on a dangerous and long journey. In 1620, the Mayflower ship left the port of Plymouth. There were 102 people on it, including women and children. These were the first settlers. After several months of sailing, they landed at the easternmost point of the American continent and founded a small settlement here, which they also called Plymouth. Having built houses, the new residents of America began to arrange their everyday life.

As already mentioned, there were no shops then, and it was possible to survive only with the help of natural products. But this method had one big BUT - weather conditions. Those who are happy owners of summer cottages and vegetable gardens know how the weather affects the harvest. The same thing happened 500 years ago. If nature favored the settlers, the harvest was bountiful. And if not, the newly minted American citizens had a hard time. In those days, various religious habits were still strong; if the harvest was rich, people thanked God for his help and prayed that the next year would be just as rich in food. This is where the tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving came from.

The first holiday was held on American soil in 1621. Invaluable help was provided by local residents - Indians, who were invited to the celebration. After all, the settlers arrived in America only in November, when it was too late to sow anything. The winter was harsh and many died. The Indians came to the aid of the visitors (or rather, those who sailed). The first celebration lasted three days. A real feast was arranged - turkeys, corn, fish, fruits and vegetables were on the tables.

Of course, not only the first Englishmen sought to go overseas. Many Europeans from other countries also gradually flocked to new lands (everyone had their own reasons for immigration). Settled along the entire eastern coast of the American continent and moving inland, new Americans got used to new holidays, including Thanksgiving. They liked this celebration so much that not a single year lived in America could have happened without it. And the nationality of those who arrived here no longer mattered - Thanksgiving Day was celebrated by everyone without exception.

In the first years it was considered unofficial and was celebrated only on occasions when a rich harvest was harvested. And the first president in 1789 declared Thanksgiving a national day and dedicated a specific date to it - the fourth Thursday of November. True, in subsequent years the dates changed (depending on presidential decrees) - sometimes the second, sometimes the third Thursday was proposed. This dance continued until 1941, when President Franklin Roosevelt signed a decree on the last Thursday of November. This is how the holiday is still celebrated.

Holiday traditions

So how do you celebrate one of America's main holidays? Let's start with the fact that, first of all, this is a family celebration for which the whole family gathers, even if relatives are scattered throughout the country or even overseas. Traditionally, turkey in cranberry sauce takes center stage on the table.

Housewives also prepare pumpkin pie, various types of gravy, sweet potatoes - in a word, they copy (if possible) those dishes that were on the tables of the first colonists. Houses these days are decorated with garlands, straw figurines, wreaths, flowers - mainly red, orange, golden and brown colors, identified with autumn and the harvest of ripe fruits.

An integral part of Thanksgiving Day are parades - with masks, costumes, and huge inflatable dolls - characters from various cartoons. People dress up as Indians, declaring gratitude in this way to those tribes that helped the first settlers survive in those harsh conditions. The largest parade is held in New York.

It can be noted without exaggeration that Thanksgiving is one of the most beloved holidays by US citizens, an excellent opportunity to visit your family and friends, gather around the same table and thank God not for the harvest, but for the fact that all relatives are healthy, that there are financial opportunities . These days, you can take part in charity events by donating money, food or clothing to the homeless. And of course, it is impossible not to clarify that it is with this holiday that the Christmas fairy tale begins - Christmas trees appear, stores are filled with themed goods. America is gradually preparing for the New Year and... But Thanksgiving Day holds a special place in the heart of every citizen.

There was a smell of winter in the air. This means that very soon we will begin preparing for the New Year and Christmas. But when does the moment come that allows you to choose without remorse? christmas tree, eat tangerines and wait for a New Year's miracle? In the United States, there is a date after which preparations for the holiday season are considered officially open. This Thanksgiving Day When gathered at the festive table, it is customary to express your gratitude. But to whom and for what - let's figure it out.

History of Thanksgiving

As we remember from history lessons, the first settlers from England arrived on the shores of America in 1620. They landed on the continent in November and founded a colony. But the first winter was harsh for the new residents, many of them died. The next year, local Indians taught these white people how to properly grow crops on the new land. When the time came to harvest, the first governor of the colonists proposed a day of giving thanks to the Lord. Of course, the Indians were also invited to this holiday, who helped the settlers so much. This day became the first Thanksgiving Day celebration.

After gaining independence from England, the country's first president George Washington proposed to celebrate Thanksgiving every year on November 26th. Over time, this holiday was assigned its own day - the last Thursday of November. The US Congress even passed a bill on this topic in 1941. And so over time, Thanksgiving became one of the biggest holidays in the United States. This year it falls on November 26.

Useful words in English

Colonist - colonist, settler
American Indian - American Indian
Thanksgiving Day
Harvest - harvest, harvest
Feast - feast, holiday
Meal – eating, eating
Thursday - Thursday
Tradition - tradition
To celebrate – celebrate

Thanksgiving Day Celebration

These days, Thanksgiving Day is one of the three most important holidays in the United States (the other two being Christmas and Independence Day, which is celebrated on July 4th). Therefore, it is not at all surprising that it is celebrated on a special scale. The whole country is dying out: shops and all government offices are closed for this holiday. Many Americans get the day off the day after the holiday.

Religious people must attend church. The less religious stay home, watch the parade and cook special American food. There must be turkey on the table. This is the main dish of Thanksgiving. By the way, turkey is not served just like that, but with cranberry sauce. Each family often has its own secret recipe for this sauce. According to American tradition, you can find mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and green beans on the table.

On Thanksgiving Day, the average American eats about 4000 calories. As we remember, 2000 calories is more than enough for a person per day. So it’s not surprising that after eating so much, people find it difficult to move and seem to fall into a kind of coma due to overeating. Americans call this condition “food coma”. By the way, quite a large number of Thanksgiving jokes are devoted to this topic.

All day long, Americans are remembering what they are grateful for this year. So don’t be surprised if on the pages of your foreign friends in social networks on this day you will find long lists telling about who and what they are grateful for.

Useful words in English

Sauce - sauce
Cranberry sauce - cranberry sauce
Stuffing – turkey stuffing
Turkey - turkey
Gravy - gravy
Dinner - dinner
Pumpkin pie - pumpkin pie
Leftovers - leftover food
To carve - cut the turkey

Thanksgiving Traditions

Like any holiday, Thanksgiving Day has its own traditions that are unique to it.

Useful words

Soup kitchen - free canteen
Parade - parade
To worship - bow, honor
Charity - charity
To give thanks
Gobble is the sound a turkey makes; gobble

Thanksgiving Turkey

Let's talk to you about the main character of the festive table. It is believed that the average Thanksgiving turkey weighs 8-9 kilograms for the holiday. That's why small families sometimes only buy turkey breast. Of course, it can be tricky to bake such a large bird in the oven. So sometimes you need help when preparing such American food.

That's why it works on holidays telephone hotline, where they will help you not to burn your idea. The line is believed to have been in operation for about 30 years. On the other end of the line there are a little more than 50 people who will advise what to do in a critical “turkey” situation. This emergency line operates in November and December. According to the site, during these months they answer more than 100,000 questions about the preparation of the main dish. Your question can be answered in both Spanish and English. Moreover, a couple of representatives of the stronger sex also work on the support line. They probably think that only a man can explain to another man how to properly roast a turkey.

Vegetarians also have their own turkey, although it consists of tofu. And that's what it's called Tofurky(Tofu+turkey). Of course, it doesn't look like a real bird. Tofurky can take different types from sausages to minced meat. But Thanksgiving usually involves buying something that looks a lot like pieces of stuffed meatloaf. Only this meatloaf has no meat in it. There are tons of recipes on the Internet and in cooking magazines for various dishes that vegetarians can try to replace the good old turkey.

Useful words

Hotline – telephone hotline
Recipe - recipe
Frozen turkey - frozen turkey
To defrost - defrost
To roast - bake
Giblets - offal
Pop-up thermometer is a small thermometer that is stuck into a turkey. A small part of this thermometer will pop up when the meat inside the turkey reaches the desired temperature.

Pop-up thermometer

Unfortunately, we are only familiar with this holiday thanks to television shows and films. Let's see how we get into the spirit of Thanksgiving and see how our people celebrate this day. Good friends from various TV series.

TV series “Modern family”

TV series “Friends”

TV series “How I met your mother”

Shutikova Anna