I'm from the UK and don't understand what the meaning of thanks giving is. It seems to be like our Christmas but you have Christmas too so do you have 2 special days?
I'm confused!
2007-11-19 23:09:25 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Thanksgiving
Thanks for your answers!
2007-11-19 23:22:11 · update #1
Because our President Washington proclaimed it a national holiday in 1789. Read more about it at the link below. It's not like Christmas at all.
2007-11-19 23:19:53 · answer #1 · answered by N L 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thanksgiving has been celebrated in the US since 1621.
The short version: The Pilgrims and the friendly Indians that helped them get settled in the new world, got together after the harvest and had a great feast that lasted several days.
Skipping ahead, we now celebrate on the 4th Thursday of November. It's a time of remembrance for family gatherings and to remember what this great country stands for and be thankful for all we have.
By the way, Canada also celebrates their Thanksgiving in October. A little research will show that there are other countries that set aside a day of remembrance but some have a different name for it.
Hope this is somewhat helpful. Have a great day.
I know I will come Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Yahoo - four days off.
2007-11-20 07:53:08 · answer #2 · answered by Jay9ball 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thanksgiving is a time when families get together to eat a meal and be thankful for what they have.
And Why do ONLY Americans celebrate it ? Just because Many Americans think of Thanksgiving as a wonderful time to celebrate getting out of school for a long weekend, and eating a great dinner. Or, maybe they think it is the start of the Christmas holiday season.
So, hopefully this is clear for you now. But, if there's anything that I can help, please let me know...
2007-11-20 07:53:29 · answer #3 · answered by hottstuff 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thanksgiving :
The Pilgrims, Massachusetts
The early settlers of Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts were particularly grateful to Squanto, the Native American and former British slave who taught them how to both catch eel and grow corn and also served as their native interpreter. Without Squanto's assistance, the settlers might not have survived in the New World.
The Plymouth settlers (who came to be called "Pilgrims") set apart a holiday immediately after their first harvest in 1621. They held an autumn celebration of food, feasting, and praising God. The Governor of Plymouth invited Grand Sachem Massasoit and the Wampanoag people to join them in the feast. Evidence to support that claim came from diaries of Plymouth. The settlers fed and entertained the Native Americans for three days, at which point some of the Native Americans went into the forest, killed 5 deer, and gave them to the Governor as a gift.
2007-11-20 07:21:43 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Americans, think of Thanksgiving, as a day for giving thanks
for what we have. But, history tells us Indians and Pilgrims sat
together broke bread and bonded. Yes we do have two different days. This year it is celebrated Nov. 22. I rather favor
thanksgiving. No presents or gifts. Family getting together and just enjoying each other. Christmas is so commercialized
it's rather sad. HAPPT TURKEY DAY TO ALL
2007-11-20 07:25:34 · answer #5 · answered by Bob Dylan ♪ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thanksgiving and Christmas are celebrated entirely differently. Christmas is a celbration of Christ's birth. Thanksgiving is a traditional North American holiday to give thanks at the conclusion of the harvest season.
The major differences, other than the religious ones, is that we don't exchange gifts on Thanksgiving, nor decorate nearly as much. It's pretty much just a huge meal with loved ones.
2007-11-20 07:20:20 · answer #6 · answered by Clare 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It was made a natl day of thanks by a president, as he did believe in God Almighty and realized that the country he represented should take one day out of the year, and give thanks for all the blessings bestowed on America, and the roots being the Indians, and first settlers.
Even though some of America is moving away from God, and is very self absorbed, our presidents are still taking the oath of office and being sworn in with the Bible.
Congress still opens with prayer.
Lets be thankful we have God to thank!
2007-11-20 07:24:10 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Thanksgiving celebrates the time when the Indians helped the settlers in the new world with a feast. It's a time to give thanks for what you have and celebrated by gathering family together and having a feast.
2007-11-20 07:15:32 · answer #8 · answered by towanda 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the US is was created by Lincoln...loosely based on a story about settlers.
My family came here in the 1960s...and were not puritans or anything, but we still celebrate the hell out of it.
Basically it is a day off from work where you can eat a bunch of yummy food and be thankful you have a bunch of yummy food to eat.....what could be wrong with that ;)?
2007-11-20 07:13:41 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
the rest of the world does not celebrate it because 1 we have Christmas in a few weeks and that is plenty of time to stuff ourselves eating that much in that sort of time is too much.
2 we don't give thanks because we did not live our countries to America then struggled only to be helped by a group of people who we later killed.
2013-11-29 16:36:19 · answer #10 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋