Re: Thanksgiving?

[Joe Sommer <anvilus9-at-adelphia.net>]

Steve,

At 07:54 PM 11/27/2003 +1100, stue-at-netspace.net.au wrote:
 > Can any one tell me what thanksgiving is all about, and whats with the 
turkey
 > and pumpkin pie, do they represent something(US TV shows nealy all show 
turkey
 > and pumkin pie at thanksgiving)

Generically, Thanksgiving is an autumn harvest festival
from agrarian origins that celebrates when the crops
have been harvested and stored for the winter.  Canadian
Thanksgiving is traditionally earlier in the year (October 13
in 2003) because the Canadian winter comes a little earlier.
(How much snow has already fallen in Calgary?)
Good descriptions are provided at
http://www.web-holidays.com/canada/
http://www.sholay.com/stories/canadianthanksgiving.htm

Specifically, the US Thanksgiving holiday was decreed by
President Abraham Lincoln (in the middle of the American
Civil War) to remind the American people to give thanks for
the bounty that has been bestowed upon our nation.

Historically, Thanksgiving is a remembrance of early American
colonists (the Pilgrims) who fled England to escape religious
persecution.  Good descriptions are provided at
http://members.aol.com/calebj/thanksgiving.html
http://www.clickondetroit.com/sh/holidays/stories/holidays-20001113-113948.html
http://wilstar.com/holidays/thankstr.htm

Traditional Thanksgiving foods - turkey, pumpkin, corn (maize)
and cranberries - were originally indigenous to only North
America.  I often have international graduate students visit
my home for Thanksgiving dinner, and they are quite unaccustomed
to these rather unusual North American foods.  Imagine
explaining Vegamite to an American.  (Happily, we all
understand Foster's.)

This is probably way more info than you wanted.

Cheers,
Joe


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Joe Sommer
2378 Nantucket Circle, State College, PA 16803
814.234.4773     anvilus9-at-adelphia.net
http://www.anvilus.com