Image result for thanksgivingThanksgiving Day is an annual national holiday in the United States and Canada celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year. This occur on the fourth Thursday of every November. It’s a holiday for families and friends to get together and say what they’re thankful for, reflecting on the the struggles and the hardships endured by the pilgrims who first made the journey to the ‘New World’.

This holiday has created many traditions over the years and is full of interesting facts and customs. Here are some interesting details about the holiday that will make for great dinner conversations.

  • The first feast was held in 1621 but they didn’t call it ‘Thanksgiving’ until 1623. The day was made an official federal holiday in 1941 by President Franklin Roosevelt.
  • The President of the United States “pardons” one live turkey each year who then gets to live out its life on a farm, without the fear of ever becoming a turkey dinner.
  • In 2005 and 2009, the pardoned turkeys were sent to Disneyland and Walt Disney Worldparks to serve as grand marshal in their annual Thanksgiving parades.
  • President John F. Kennedy was the first to pardon a turkey, but the annual White House tradition officially started with George W. Bush in 1989.
  • Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird of the United States of America, instead of the bald eagle.
  • About 46 million turkeys are cooked for Thanksgiving each year.
  • Around 88 percent of Americans eat Turkeys on Thanksgiving on each year.
  • Not everyone eats a turkey on thanksgiving.
  • Only male turkey’s gobble.
  • The pilgrims sailed to America from Great England on a boat called the Mayflower.
  • The day after Thanksgiving is called ‘Black Friday,’ and is the biggest shopping day in the United States.
  • Thanksgiving leftovers were the reason the first ‘TV Dinners’ were invented.

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By Anzish Mirza

Sources:

https://www.ducksters.com/holidays/thanksgiving_day.php

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/thanksgiving-ideas/a35457/thanksgiving-trivia/