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Thanksgiving 2023: It’s the time of the year when people will gear up for the celebrations of Thanksgiving and Christmas worldwide. The festival of Thanksgiving is celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm in the United States on the fourth Thursday of November annually. It is an important day when people pay gratitude to God for giving them each meal. This year, Thanksgiving will be celebrated on November 23. The day after Thanksgiving is known as ‘Black Friday’ and will be observed on November 24.

Thanksgiving 2023: History

The occasion of Thanksgiving has been an annual celebration since 1863. According to English traditions, the celebrations of Thanksgiving take place to thank God for bountiful harvests. There are claims that the first Thanksgiving was held in the city of El Paso, Texas, in 1598. One of the first celebrations of Thanksgiving was the autumn harvest that the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag shared in 1621. The pilgrims invited the Wampanoag Indians to the feast in the Plymouth colony and everyone shared pumpkin pie and turkey during the celebrations.

Thanksgiving 2023 (Image Credits: Canva)

Thanksgiving 2023: Significance

Thanksgiving is a festival that tells us the importance of being thankful and grateful for everything that the Almighty has given us. It is a special day to say thanks to God and recognise the sacrifices and blessings of the past year. On Thanksgiving, families and friends get together for a wholesome meal that includes turkey, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, potatoes, gravy and other dishes. Parades are also organised during Thanksgiving weekend in some cities of the United States.

Thanksgiving 2023: Celebrations

Thanksgiving is observed as a holiday in schools, colleges and governmental organisations in the United States. Offices allow their staff for a four-day long weekend to enjoy the festival with their families and friends. Thanksgiving is all about reflecting on blessings and acknowledging gratitude towards them. Traditional foods are a large part of Thanksgiving celebrations and include roasted turkey, sweet potatoes, cornbread, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. Breaking the turkey’s wishbone is a major part of the celebrations. The wishbone of a turkey is found attached to the breast meat in the turkey’s chest and once it becomes dry and brittle, two people take one end of the bone, make a wish and pull. Whoever gets the large part of the bone end gets their wish fulfilled.