Marie´s Blog

The U.S. Thanksgiving party is upcoming this November 26 for this year.  For Americans, Thanksgiving is usually a day celebrated with big dinners and family reunions. Thanksgiving is also a time for religious reflection, church services and prayer. The last Thursday in November was an official announcement as the National Thanksgiving holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863. He proclaimed it “a day of thanksgiving and praise to the beneficent Father.” Thanksgiving was celebrated on that date for 75 years until President Roosevelt set the day one week earlier in 1939. He wanted to  prolong the shopping period between Thanksgiving and Christmas to help businesses. Congress finally ruled in 1941 that the fourth Thursday in November would be the legal National Thanksgiving Day holiday.

According to history, the first Thanksgiving in America was celebrated less than a year after the Plymouth colonists settled in the New World. The corn harvest brought celebration and Governor William Bradford decreed that a three day feast be held.

Thanksgiving Day is a day set aside in the United States and Canada for giving thanks. People give thanks with feasting and prayer for the blessings that they have received during the year. The first Thanksgivings were harvest festivials, or days for thanking God for plentiful crops. For this reason, the holiday is associated with fall – a time of harvesting the crops.

In China, international schools run by Canadian and Americans usually celebrate this event in the classrooms for American culture exposure.  Some Americans who migrated to other countries gather together and celebrate this party too. In order for a thanksgiving to be called a real thanksgiving, these should be the food which is served and should not be forgotten:

The TURKEY: The turkey is the central element of any good Thanksgiving meal. An otherwise perfect meal can be ruined by a dry, overcooked turkey. Since this isn’t something we cook on a weekly basis, it’s not easy to pull off the perfect turkey.

The SNACKS: These snacks could include pretzels, cheese, crackers, chips, pudding, or even a veggie tray serve with a variety of dips, seafood, canapés and vegetable trays.

The DESSERT:  A pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream on top would really make the thanksgiving filled with sweetness and fun.

The DRINKS: Champagne or any wines will always be the best drinks to have. In the end, its still the host of the party will decide which drinks one can have for making a thanksgiving party nice one.

For Americans living in Shenzhen and wanting to celebrate thanksgiving. Get your turkey at McCawleys. They will bake it for you.