As we get further into the month of November and closer to December, families all over the world start breaking out tradition from past years to celebrate the holidays. Thanksgiving is a day known to bring people together and focus on family, tradition, and what they are grateful for. Although this popular day did not begin being celebrated annually until Abraham Lincoln named it a national holiday that was to be celebrated each November since 1863, its origin goes back before then.
A year after Pilgrims arrived in the colonies from Plymouth, England via the Mayflower, the new settlers had successfully been able to harvest corn. That November in 1863, their governor, William Bradford, planned a feast to recognize the success. He invited Native American allies to join the feast as well, and that three day long celebration is now considered to be the first Thanksgiving. After several conflicts and disagreements, in 1941 Thanksgiving was officially stated to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of each November.
Individual families may have their own traditions that are unique to them, but there are several common traditions celebrated widely throughout America. Since 1924, Macy's department store has been putting on its famous Thanksgiving Day Parade. It takes place in New York City, and the original one even included animals from Central Park's zoo. Sports fans can usually be found gathered around a TV on Thanksgiving to cheer on their choice football team. This dates back to 1934 when the Lions played the Bears and had a surprisingly large show up of fans. Football has continued to annually be played on Thanksgiving since 1945. Last but not least, who could ever forget all the mashed potatoes, turkey, and pies?
Many people decide to give back to the community or donate their time around the holidays. For this Thanksgiving, I went to my local Soup Kitchen and helped organize canned, boxed, and jarred foods for about three hours. The job was not very difficult and did not take up much of my day, but it turned out to be a lot of fun and my help was needed and appreciated. Below is a before and after picture of all of the food.
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| Original photos; Abby Durante |
It may not seem like a noticeable difference in the pictures, but we reorganized everything. Boxes off to the side are filled with food that is expired and its contents are either being pitched or given to farmers to feed to their animals (depending on how old it is and what type of food.) Boxes on the ground are filled with food that either very recently expired or are about to expire, but is still edible. These boxes are being delivered to local families in need. The shelves have been reorganized to have items expiring at the end of 2013 or 2014 in the front and things that have a year or so in the back. This is so that minimal items are wasted.
If you are interested in donating food or helping out with the Soup Bus or Soup Kitchen, contact a church near you to get further instructions! It is always needed and makes a world of difference!
Citations: http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving and
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2013/11/26/thanksgiving-traditions-history/3709209/ and
http://www.businessinsider.com/why-thanksgiving-is-the-fourththursday-in-november-2013-11
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