By Rita Amoroso, Contributing Writer
Thanksgiving is an annual holiday in the United States, celebrated on the third Thursday of November. Even though this holiday is celebrated in the United States, people from across the planet celebrate Thanksgiving in their own way. Thanksgiving is celebrated in various other countries such as Canada, Germany, and Liberia.
There are a lot of reasons behind celebrating Thanksgiving. It is usually a tradition passed down from generation to generation and pertains to family traditions. Thanksgiving is often celebrated as a gratitude-driven holiday. The goal is to honor all the blessings that the year has brought.
Thanksgiving is characterized by its generous meal and family feast. The original Thanksgiving meal, inspired by the colonists of Plymouth in 1621, was made of assorted meats and fish. Cornbread and porridge were also part of the feast. The original Thanksgiving meal has not changed much over the years. The choice of meat has certainly changed but the side dishes remain the same. Some variations of the Thanksgiving meal exist. Some of them are pigs in a blanket, cheese-stuffed peppers, baked bacon, and sweet potato casserole.
Not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving in the same way. Different forms of celebration exist for those who do not celebrate Thanksgiving. One example of it is Friendsgiving. Friendsgiving is a holiday to celebrate gratefulness with one or multiple friends. Friendsgiving can be celebrated in addition to Thanksgiving or in lieu of Thanksgiving.
Certain celebrations in other cultures have holidays that mirror Thanksgiving traditions. One celebration that looks like Thanksgiving is Ashura. Ashura is a celebration familiar to people that are Muslim or lived in a Muslim country. Ashura is a day of commemoration in Islam that marks the first day of the first month of the Islamic calendar.
Whether it is Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving, gathering around food and visiting loved ones may be the best way to show gratitude. How did you celebrate Thanksgiving this year?
