Thanksgiving is a time for togetherness... it's an occasion to be spent in the warm and loving company of family, loved ones and friends enjoying turkey roast and pumpkin pies with them. Thanksgiving is also an opportunity to renew the ties that bind us with the ones we love... it is a time for remembering, cherishing and being thankful for all the good things you have been blessed with. So it's time to say 'Happy Thanksgiving'

Friday, September 01, 2006

Harvest Season and Thanksgiving


In the United States, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November every year. But in Canada, the harvest season ends a little earlier in the year. Hence in Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October. The Canadians have a three-day long Thanksgiving weekend and the holiday is not as significantly hyped here as in the United States. The Canadians also do not get enough time for a convenient homecoming. So they reserve the family reunions for the Christmas holiday. The Thanksgiving holiday has serious religious shades for the Roman Catholic Quebecers, who call it l'Action de Grâce. Thanksgiving has a long-standing history in Europe; it is associated with the harvest festivals held there. So then, as you see, celebrating harvest is quite old. And so is the thanksgiving act—to thank the Almighty for all the good things He has given us ! And all these harvest festivities, although having cultural differences, are common in spirit to the modern American Thanksgiving.
Today’s Thanksgiving has its history and origin embedded in all these ancient harvest festivals across the world. However, you should also take note of the fact that today’s Thanksgiving has its direct origin in the history of America—in the popular Pilgrim’s story of Thanksgiving.

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