Happy Thanksgiving to all of you !

General information.

This week Thursday (every last Thursday in November) they celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States of America, the country with the most intense Thanksgiving festivities.
The acclaimed Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada is a form of harvest festival, but differs greatly from the harvest festivals after European traditions.

  Harvesting in old Egyptian time.

The harvest festival is a celebration in Christianity after the harvest in the autumn, in which the faithful give thanks to God for the gifts of the harvest.

    Harvesting display for Thanksgiving.

Harvest festivals already existed in pre-Christian times. Similar rites are known in Northern Europe, Israel, Greece or the Roman Empire. In Judaism, there was and is the Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, after the start of the harvest, and Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, in autumn at the end of the reading.

     Magnificent old Thanksgiving Post Card from around 1890.

History by country:
USA.

There are different views about where the starting point for Thanksgiving festivities is to be set. The first known Erntedankfestlichkeit (German for harvest-thanks-festivities) in North America was probably committed by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado and the tribe of Caddo on May 23, he died in 1541 in the territory of today’s Texas.  This was the discovery of food celebrated by the expedition of the Spaniards.

  The Thanksgiving held in Florida 1565.

A similar festival was a few years later on September 8, 1565 in St. Augustine, Florida,  where Pedro Menendez de Aviles, a Spanish explorer, invited members of a local tribe near St. Augustine for a Mass of thanks to God for the crew’s safe arrival on the shores of Florida, the „New World“, followed by a dinner together.

     The landing of the pilgrims at Plymouth.

The first anglophone Thanksgiving may 1578 took place in Newfoundland, where the navigators Martin Frobisher celebrated the safe return from an expedition to search for the Northwest Passage.

  Thanksgiving celebration at Plymouth.

Another festival took place on August 4, 1619 in what is now Virginia, where 38 settlers celebrated their arrival from England. This event is what all Americans already learn in school, „The Story of the Pilgrims“.

     Children’s book Thanksgiving information.

When the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts, they celebrated together with the native Wampanoag Indians in autumn 1621 a three-day Thanksgiving. Without their help they would not have survived the following winter. Approximately ninety Wampanoag Indians and 50 settlers are said to have taken part in this celebration, but it is historically not been established.

   The Pilgrims Thanksgiving at Plymouth.

The Indians say that their Thanksgiving celebrations have already taken place many many years before. The beginning of this celebration is so far also not been established. Both the Americans and the Canadians lead their present Thanksgiving back to this festival. The loyalists brought the American Thanksgiving after the Revolutionary War to Canada.

  Thanksgiving comic about pilgrims and Indians.

In the United States Thanksgiving is a national holiday, which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of the month November. The festival cited elements of the pioneer life of the Pilgrim Fathers (Plymouth Colony) and therefore carries a certain national character.

    Beautiful rustic Thanksgiving dinner table.

Thanksgiving in the United States the most important family celebration in Ordinary Time, also used by many families and friends or other guests invited. In its center is a large meal (often supper). As often gather all the generations of a family and they live scattered partly on all parts of the country, prevails at airports, and roads in the country around the hard lot more traffic than all other seasons. Many stories and made movies tendril around the „Thanksgiving Weekend“.

  Be HAPPY TODAY – tomorrow is BLACK FRIDAY !

The Pilgrim Fathers, and all the presidents, from Washington to Obama, have proclaimed thanks to God. Obama last year: „We lift up our hearts in gratitude to God for our many blessings, for one another, and for our nation“.

  „Happy Shopping“ seems to me a bit insane.

For „Black Friday“ (the Friday after Thanksgiving) grants the retail traditionally high discounts. This day is often used for the first Christmas shopping, from then is decorated festively increasingly in public. For the economy, sales of this day is an important sentiment indicator.

  Where is the peaceful Thanksgiving day now ?

„Black Friday“ as a term has been used in multiple contexts, going back to the nineteenth century, where in the United States it was associated with a financial crisis of 1869.
The earliest known usage of „Black Friday“ as a post-Thanksgiving shopping day appears in December 1, 1961 issue of The Shortsville-Manchester Enterprise (Shortsville, New York). An article, referring to a usage by police in Rochester, New York.

Crazy shopping !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another article mentioning the simultaneous use of the term in Philadelphia appears in a public relations newsletter (December 18, 1961).
„For downtown merchants throughout the nation, the biggest shopping days normally are the two following Thanksgiving Day. Resulting traffic jams are an irksome problem to the police and, in Philadelphia, it became customary for officers to refer to the post-Thanksgiving days as Black Friday and Black Saturday“.

  From a family Thursday to a fighting weekend.

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday.
It seems that a kind of „war“ is going on in the US during this long long weekend !!

Canada.

  All Canadian Thanksgiving.

In Canada, „Thanksgiving“ celebrated on the second Monday in October (which corresponds to the Columbus Day holiday in the US). (Into which provinces still celebrated the feast) As in the US, the Canadian Thanksgiving is an official holiday.

  A „Harvest Thank You Festival“ in Canada.

The Canadian Thanksgiving is so far closely linked to his Christian background, as it is considered a liturgical feast in the Christian churches. In this sense, it corresponds more European Thanksgiving traditions as the US hard. Nevertheless, the Canadian Thanksgiving goes beyond a mere festival for the harvest.

Japan.

   Thanksgiving menu a la Japan – sushi, fries, turkey.

In Japan, there was an old imperial Thanksgiving  (niinamesai „tasting of the new rice“), a Shinto ritual in which the gods by the Emperor freshly harvested rice is sacrificed. A first mention of this ritual, whose origin is suspected earlier, can be found in the historical works of Nihonshoki from the year 720 AC.

Pretzel Turkey Mashed Potato Burger by Wendy’s Japan.

There is reported, by a ceremony dating back to 678th, a feast to thank for the harvest. From there on it has developed to todays Thanksgiving as a national holiday, which is celebrated on 23 November, and called the Labor Thanksgiving Day.

Germany.

  Display of fruits and vegetables – ERNTEDANKFEST.

The Roman Catholic German Bishops‘ Conference put 1972 first Sunday in October as a fixed appointment that express binding for all communities without this determination. Official part of the liturgical year is the harvest festival but still not, that is, the municipalities are not obliged to keep the feast. „The history of salvation-oriented year the Church knows no harvest festival“.

   Most churches are adorned with such an display.

Nevertheless, the custom of thanksgiving for a good harvest has long been engaged in many Roman Catholic churches become customary, so that in addition to herbs ordinations on 15 August, Quatember, firstfruits blessing in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eucharist on the first Sunday in October is often hailed as „Thanks for the fruit of the earth and work of human hands“ in the region surrounded by Thanksgiving gifts altar.

  All over Germany such „straw people“ in front of farms.

In the area of the Protestant Churches arose since 1985 a change. This means that the first Sunday is the municipalities recommended in October as Thanksgiving deadline. Although September 30 is a Sunday, be celebrated generally on the first Sunday in October.

   German Thanksgiving is an „all together“ town festival.

In many parts of Germany will take place pageants with floats, marching bands and groups on foot between mid-September and early October. The preparation of (historical) harvesting situations is enriched with designs that are reminiscent of carnival parades. The flowers used for the carriage jewelry are genuine rule.

  Big food for Big guys !!

As in many other countries, the Germans also like good food and thus they celebrate the „Erntedankfest“ (harvest-thanks-festival), the Thanksgiving, like most other countries – with an opulent meal, large food tables and lots of friends and family – having a great party, mostly with dancing into the next morning. Often the whole town is on „fiesta“.

Uruguay.

 

Even in Uruguay people come together and celebrate the “Dia de Accion de Gracias”. A day to be thankful. But everything is like any other festival, good food from the „parilla“, the local barbecue, always with lots of meat. But no turkey – to rare and expensive here .

Traditions / customs in USA.

    American family traditions through the centuries.

Thanksgiving is a national holiday, which is celebrated in the US on the fourth Thursday of November. In order to extend their weekend to take workers like addition on Friday free. Even schools and universities often make it a four- to five-day tuition-free time. Even today mostly comes the whole family, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins ​​and children together.

Historical document: Proclamation from President George Washington about Thanksgiving. Order to have a day of Thanksgiving and Prayer for all Americans.

Although Thanksgiving is a national holiday, this is every year until a few days ago formally proclaimed by the President of the United States. In the proclamation, the US president speaks regularly at important events of the past or the coming year. Moreover, he brings the gratitude of the nation to the Most expressed.

   Another kind of Thanksgiving – after receiving citizenship.

The traditional Thanksgiving meal there are dishes that should have been given at the first Thanksgiving feast: a roasted and stuffed turkey (Roasted Turkey) with a wide selection of side dishes and desserts such as cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes (sweet potatoes), apple – and pumpkin pie (apple pie and pumpkin pie) and various vegetables such as squash, green peas and corn.

  President Truman got a wonderful turkey.

At the White House, the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation has been established, in which the industry associations each year the President hand over a turkey, the „pardon“ since the 1990s usually the president, the animal will not be slaughtered.

  Bit meager what they handed over to president Bush.

The Thanksgiving meal is often accompanied by a prayer of thanksgiving, or everyone says after the series, for which one is especially thankful this year. Such customs vary greatly from one family to another or the respective friends. A custom it is, for example, that two fixed subscriber, the dried wishbone („Wishbone“) of turkey pull apart each with the little finger until it breaks into two parts. He whose piece is larger, has a desire freely. Thanksgiving should be, other than for Christmas, gifts uncommon.

  The 88 year old Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.

How is Thanksgiving celebrated now compared to the ‘First Thanksgiving?’ Today, the holiday centers more around eating a large feast with friends and family (and watching football). Even the foods have greatly changed. Today, nearly 90% of American’s eat turkey as part of their Thanksgiving meal.

  Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in New York.

Also, just like on Veteran’s Day and Fourth of July, parades have become a regular Thanksgiving Day tradition. The grand Macy’s Thanksgiving parade also happens in New York City, where the Veteran’s Day parade just occurred less than three weeks ago.
More than two million Americans line the parade route, with even more tuning in to watch the spectacle on TV. Giant balloon characters are always a common sight, along with American flags and tributes to the stars and stripes.

  No comment needed.

The American Thanksgiving Meal.

  One of the many varieties of a Thanksgiving meal.

According to what traditionally is known as „The First Thanksgiving,“ the 1621 feast between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag at Plymouth Colony contained turkey, waterfowl, venison, fish, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin, and squash. William Bradford noted that, „besides waterfowl, there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many.“ Many of the foods that were included in the first feast (except, notably, the seafood) have since gone on to become staples of the modern Thanksgiving dinner.

     William Bradford (1590-1657), Governor of Plymouth.

The use of the turkey in the USA for Thanksgiving precedes Lincoln’s nationalization of the holiday in 1863. Alexander Hamilton proclaimed that no „Citizen of the United States should refrain from turkey on Thanksgiving Day,“ and many of the Founding Fathers (particularly Benjamin Franklin) had high regard for the wild turkey as an American icon, but turkey was uncommon as Thanksgiving fare until after 1800. By 1857, turkey had become part of the traditional dinner in New England.

  Contemporary drawing of turkey means, 1858.

A Thanksgiving Day dinner served to the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935 included: pickles, green olives, celery, roast turkey, oyster stew, cranberry sauce, giblet gravy, dressing, creamed asparagus tips, snowflake potatoes, baked carrots, hot rolls, fruit salad, mince meat pie, fruit cake, candies, grapes, apples, clams, fish, and many other food harvests. French drip coffee, cigars and cigarettes. What a feast ?

  What a wonderful „Thanksgiving Turkey“ presentation.

The White House Cook Book, 1887, by Mrs. F.L. Gillette, had the following menu: oysters on half shell, cream of chicken soup, fried smelts, sauce tartare, roast turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, baked squash, boiled onions, parsnip fritters, olives, chicken salad, venison pastry, pumpkin pie, mince pie, Charlotte russe, almond ice cream, lemon jelly, hickory nut cake, cheese, fruits and coffee.  See pics of the cook book down here.

      

My suggestion of a mouthwatering Thanksgiving Meal.   Try it !!

  Every Thanksgiving meal „needs“ the turkey.

  Double Cranberry Sauce.

  Porcini Chestnut Stuffing.

  Blistered Green Beans.

  Goat Cheese Mashed Sweet Potatoes.

  Chardonnay Glazed Carrots.

  Skillet Baked Cornbread.

  Pineapple, Cranberry, Toasted Coconut Relish.

  Gingered Fruit Compote.

  Crumb Topped Rum-Apple Pie.

  Pumpkin Pie with Chocolate Crust.  

If you are interested, I can provide to you the recipes to every dish above, just ask for it.
With this perfect Thanksgiving meal you want to serve a glass of Champagne as a starter, some excellent red wine with the main and a sweet Sherry or a Port with dessert. Don’t forget fresh whipped cream with the apple pie and coffee or tea with the desert. Enjoy !!!

If you click on the pictures in my blog, then most will supersize, check it out !