Thanksgiving

 The history of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving combines the traditions of different groups of people. Travellers and migrants brought different religious traditions from Europe to the United States and Canada. Several celebrations are claimed as the first Thanksgiving. The best known is the celebration held by the pilgrims in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts after their journey across the Atlantic Ocean on the famous Mayflower ship. Like the pilgrims, many groups held days of prayer, fasting or feasting to give thanks for successfully making the long boat journey. Later, settlers celebrated their successful harvest in a new land by holding feasts with their Native American neighbours. Over time, the Canadian and American traditions have become similar and developed into the modern holiday of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving today

In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October. In the United States, it is on the fourth Thursday in November. Although its origins are religious, today, Thanksgiving is a largely secular holiday. For most Americans and Canadians, it is a day for coming together with family and friends to share a large meal. It is an occasion to spend time with loved ones and express gratitude for the year that has passed. In many households there is a tradition of everyone seated at the table sharing what they are most grateful for.

Thanksgiving food

Thanksgiving is also about food. Thanksgiving dinner traditionally includes roast turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and, for dessert, apple, pumpkin or pecan pies. Every family has its own recipes, sometimes secret recipes handed down through generations. Turkey, a bird native to North America, is the unofficial mascot of Thanksgiving, with roast turkey on the menu and turkey decorations on the wall. In the United States, a tradition of gifting turkeys to the President has more recently evolved into a humorous turkey ‘pardoning’. At this light-hearted ceremony, the President issues an official pardon for one or two turkeys, saving them from being cooked for supper.

More than food: football, parades and traffic jams!

Beyond food and gratitude, there are some unexpected sides to the American and Canadian holiday. One of these is football. This popular sport is an important part of the holiday, when families gather around to cheer on local or national teams. American football and Canadian football are both similar to rugby, played primarily not with the feet but with the hands.

Parades are another common part of the festivities. In the United States, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York City on the morning of Thanksgiving. It’s one of the world’s largest parades and is broadcast nationwide. A similar Thanksgiving parade happens in Canada as part of the Kitchener–Waterloo Oktoberfest, a multi-day autumn festival.

Unfortunately, heavy traffic is also common at Thanksgiving. In both countries, the week of Thanksgiving is one of the most popular travel times of the year, as everyone heads home to visit their extended family. So try to avoid any road trips if you’re visiting North America during this holiday!

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/general-english/magazine-zone/thanksgiving

Thnksgiving webquest. Reading

 

Activity 1: The history of the Thanksgiving celebration

Visit http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving and read the article. Look for the answers to these questions.

1. Who travelled on board the Mayflower and why?

2. Was their journey comfortable?

3. What route did their journey take?

4. What problems did the Pilgrims experience during their initial few months in New England?

5. Why was Squanto, a Native American, able to communicate in English with the Pilgrims?

Now, go to http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/first-thanksgiving-meal and read the article to answer the remaining questions.

6. Who were the Wampanoag and what is their connection to Thanksgiving?

7. How long did the event last?

8. What kind of food was probably eaten at the first Thanksgiving meal?

9. What differences are there between the Thanksgiving meal eaten by the Pilgrims and the one people eat today?

Activity 2: A traditional Thanksgiving meal

Visit: www.organicauthority.com/live-grow/history-of-thanksgiving-table. Read the descriptions of typical Thanksgiving dishes and find the answers to these questions.

1. Which dish with an exotic background got a sweet addition in the twentieth century?

2. Which sweet nut dish has ancient origins?

3. Which food helped make a brand of soup more popular?

4. Which food is made from different ingredients, depending on the origins of the people cooking it?

5. Which food is very good for you and can be stored for a long period?

6. Which food made one woman very rich?

7. Which food got its name by mistake?

8. Which food probably wasn’t eaten at the first Thanksgiving meal because of lack of technology?

Activity 3: Thanksgiving traditions

Read about some typical traditions in North America at Thanksgiving. Visit: people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-other/thanksgiving5.htm Before you read the information on the website, decide whether you think the statements below are true (T) or false (F).

1. Many people watch tennis at Thanksgiving every year.

2. Shops often sponsored Thanksgiving parades.

3. Washing neighbours’ cars is the most popular way to help others in the community at Thanksgiving.

4. The White House is given three turkeys each Thanksgiving – two are dead and one is pardoned and not cooked.

5. The turkey that is kept is given a name chosen by the president’s family.

6. The president announces the official date of Thanksgiving every year.

COPY AND PASTE THE QUESTIONS WITH THE RIGHT ANSWERS AND SEND IT BY MAIL TO YOUR TEACHER (javier.martinez@educantabria.es) BEFORE SUN 26TH NOV.