What is the origin of Thanksgiving in the West?

Thanksgiving Day is a festival in the United States and Canada, originally to thank God for the bumper harvest. In the United States, Thanksgiving Day is the last Thursday in June every year, and there are three days off from this day. Just like the Spring Festival in China, on this day, thousands of people will be reunited with their families no matter how busy they are. In Canada, it is on the second Monday of June 65438+ 10 every year, which is the same as Columbus Day in the United States. In addition, Koreans also celebrate Thanksgiving, which has nothing to do with Thanksgiving in North America. They set Thanksgiving Day on the same day as the Mid-Autumn Festival. 165438+ The fourth Thursday in October is Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving is an ancient festival created by the American people, and it is also a festival for Americans to reunite with their families, so Americans always feel very cordial when they mention Thanksgiving. The origin of Thanksgiving can be traced back to the beginning of American history. 1620, the famous "may flower" arrived in America with 102 Puritans who could not bear the persecution of English religion. In the winter at the turn of 1620 and 162 1, they encountered unimaginable difficulties and were hungry and cold. When winter passed, only 50 immigrants survived. At this time, the kind Indians brought the immigrants necessities of life, and specially sent people to teach them how to hunt, fish and grow corn and pumpkins. With the help of Indians, the immigrants finally got a bumper harvest. On the day of celebrating the harvest, according to religious traditions and customs, the immigrants set a day to thank God and decided to invite them to celebrate the festival together to thank the Indians for their sincere help. On the first Thanksgiving, Indians and immigrants gathered together. They salute at dawn, enter a room used as a church, express their sincere thanks to God, and then light a bonfire for a grand banquet. On the second and third days, wrestling, running, singing and dancing are held. The first Thanksgiving was a great success. Many of these celebrations have been circulated for more than 300 years and have been preserved to this day. At first, there was no fixed date for Thanksgiving, which was decided temporarily by the states. Thanksgiving didn't become a national holiday until the United States became independent. On Thanksgiving Day, the whole country in America is very lively. According to custom, people go to church to pray for gratitude, and there are costume parades, theatrical performances or sports competitions everywhere in urban and rural towns. Lao Yan's relatives who flew for a year will also come back from all over the world, and the whole family will be reunited and enjoy the delicious Thanksgiving turkey. Thanksgiving food is full of traditional characteristics. Turkey is the traditional main course of Thanksgiving. Usually, the turkey is stuffed with all kinds of spices and mixed food, and then the whole turkey is roasted. The owner cuts it into thin slices with a knife and distributes it to everyone. In addition, traditional Thanksgiving food also includes sweet potato, corn, pumpkin pie, cranberry jam and so on. After Thanksgiving dinner, people sometimes play some traditional games. For example, in the pumpkin competition, contestants push pumpkins with small spoons. The rule is not to touch the pumpkin with your hands, and the first person to reach the finish line wins. The smaller the spoon used in the game, the more interesting the game is. Over the years, the custom of celebrating Thanksgiving has been passed down from generation to generation. Whether on the rocky west coast or in beautiful Hawaii, people celebrate Thanksgiving in almost the same way. Thanksgiving Day is a traditional festival celebrated by Americans of all faiths and nationalities. The origin of Thanksgiving can be traced back to the beginning of American history. The famous "may flower" arrived in America with 102 Puritans who could not bear the persecution of English religion. In the winter at the turn of 1620 and 162 1, they encountered unimaginable difficulties and were hungry and cold. When winter passed, only 50 immigrants survived. At this time, the kind [[Indian]] brought necessities to the immigrants, and specially sent people to teach them how to hunt, fish and plant [[corn]] and [[pumpkin]]. With the help of Indians, the immigrants finally got a bumper harvest. On the day of celebrating the harvest, according to religious traditions and customs, the immigrants set a day to thank God and decided to invite them to celebrate the festival together to thank the Indians for their sincere help. On the first Thanksgiving, Indians and immigrants gathered together. They salute at dawn, enter a room used as a church, express their sincere thanks to God, and then light a bonfire for a grand banquet. On the second and third days, wrestling, running, singing and dancing were held. The first Thanksgiving was a great success. Many of these celebrations have been circulated for more than 300 years and have been preserved to this day. At first, there was no fixed date for Thanksgiving, which was decided temporarily by the states. It was not until 1863 after the independence of the United States that President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. On Thanksgiving Day, America is very busy. According to custom, people go to church to pray for gratitude. Dress parades, theatrical performances and sports competitions are held everywhere in urban and rural towns, and schools and shops are also on holiday as required. Children also imitate the Indians in those days, wearing strange clothes, drawing faces or wearing masks to sing and play the trumpet in the street. Families living in other places will also go home for the holidays, and the whole family will sit around and munch on delicious turkeys. At the same time, hospitable Americans can't forget to invite friends, bachelors or people far away from home to spend their holidays on this day. Since18th century, the United States has had the custom of sending a basket of food to poor families. At that time, a group of young women wanted to choose one day of the year to do good deeds, and thought Thanksgiving was the most suitable day. Therefore, as soon as Thanksgiving Day arrives, they put on a basket of clean food and personally deliver it to the poor. It was widely known, and soon many people followed their example. The most important meal for Americans in a year is Thanksgiving dinner. In the United States, a fast-paced and competitive country, the diet on weekdays is extremely simple. But on Thanksgiving night, every family will hold a grand feast, and the richness of goods is staggering. From the president to the common people, turkey and pumpkin pie are essential foods on the holiday table. Therefore, Thanksgiving Day is also called "Turkey Day". Thanksgiving food is full of traditional characteristics. Turkey is the traditional main course of Thanksgiving. It used to be a wild bird living in North America, and later it was raised in large quantities and became delicious poultry, each of which could weigh 40 to 50 pounds. Usually, the turkey is stuffed with all kinds of spices and mixed food, and then the whole turkey is roasted, and the chicken skin is roasted to dark brown. The owner cuts it into thin slices with a knife and distributes it to everyone. Then everyone poured in the marinade and sprinkled with salt. It was delicious. In addition, traditional Thanksgiving food also includes sweet potato, corn, pumpkin pie, cranberry jam, self-baked bread and various vegetables and fruits. After the Thanksgiving party, some families often play some traditional games. On the first Thanksgiving, people had many recreational activities, such as dancing and competitions, some of which have been passed down to this day. There is a game called Cranberry Contest. In the game, a big bowl full of cranberries is placed on the ground, and 4- 10 contestants sit together, and each person gets a needle and thread. At the beginning of the game, they thread the needle first, then string the cranberries one by one and arrive in 3 minutes; Whoever pulls the longest rope will win the prize. As for the person who dresses the slowest, everyone jokingly gives him a worst prize. There is also a corn game that is very old. It is said that this was handed down to commemorate the distribution of five grains of corn to each immigrant in the case of food shortage. During the game. People hid five corn in the house, and everyone looked for it separately. Five people who found corn took part in the competition, while others watched. At the beginning of the competition, five people quickly peeled corn kernels in a bowl, and whoever peeled them first won the prize. Then, people who didn't take part in the competition gathered in the bowl to guess how many corn kernels were in it, and the prize for the closest guess was given to a careless popcorn. People's favorite game is pumpkin race. Participants push pumpkins with small spoons. The rule is never to touch a pumpkin with your hands. The first person to reach the finish line wins the prize. The smaller the spoon used in the game, the more interesting the game is. In addition to these activities, some families drive to the countryside for an outing or travel by plane during festivals, especially Plymouth Port, where immigrants settled in the past, is a place that tourists yearn for. There, you can see the replica of may flower's ships and Plymouth Stone, and you can spend hours visiting the immigrant village. The immigrant village was built in imitation of that year. During the visit, there are also special personnel dressed as Christians to chat with tourists, giving people an immersive feeling. Over the years, the custom of celebrating Thanksgiving has been passed down from generation to generation. Whether on the rocky west coast or in beautiful Hawaii, people celebrate Thanksgiving in almost the same way. Thanksgiving Day is a traditional festival celebrated by Americans of all faiths and nationalities. Eating turkey on Thanksgiving Day: Thanksgiving Day is a traditional holiday in western countries, and we will have a three-day holiday on this day to reunite with our families. At the festival banquet, there is an indispensable special dish-"roast turkey". Why do you eat turkey on Thanksgiving? This starts with the origin of Thanksgiving. 1920, a group of English Puritans who advocated reform withdrew from the state religion and became independent Protestants because their ideals and ambitions could not be realized, which aroused the hatred of British politicians. Unable to bear the persecution and discrimination of the rulers, these Puritans fled to the Netherlands first. In early September, they crossed the ocean and prepared to go into exile in the United States. The ship drifted in the rough sea for 65 days, and finally reached the east coast of the United States in June 5438 +065438+10, and landed in Provis Town, Rhode Island. At that time, it was still a desolate virgin land, with turkeys and other wild animals everywhere. It is cold winter now. When they come to a strange place, they are short of clothes and food, and the harsh environment is threatening their lives. At this critical moment, the local Indians deprived them of food, daily necessities and production tools, and helped them build their own new homes. After settling down in their new home, these British people thanked the Indians who helped and supported them in times of crisis, and also thanked God for his "gift" to them. On the fourth Thursday in June, 1 1, the celebration lasted for three days. Since then, such a celebration will be held every year on the fourth Thursday of June165438+1October. In addition to holding roast turkeys for Indians, sports competitions such as archery, running and wrestling will also be held together, and at night, we will sing and dance around the bonfire and have fun. 194 1 year, the US Congress officially designated the fourth Thursday of June as "Thanksgiving Day". Since then, this festival has become popular in western countries. So how is the turkey cooked? Turkey is the key to turkey, also known as seven-sided chicken. Originally wild, it has been domesticated as a meat bird. The whole body is covered with black, white and dark yellow feathers. The upper part of the head and neck is exposed, and there are red coral-like skin tumors and drooping meat under the throat, and the color can change from red to purple. The tail feathers of male turkeys can be fanned out and there is a tuft of hair balls on the chest. The weight of female turkey is 8-9 kilograms, and the annual output of turkey eggs is 50-80, each egg weighs 20-80 grams. At present, the breeding varieties are mostly "bronze turkey" and "white turkey". Turkey attracts people's attention because of its large size, fast growth, strong disease resistance and high lean meat rate. It can be compared with meat chicken and is known as "meat making machine". Turkey is not only tender and light in meat, but also has the advantages of "one high and two low" in nutritional value. First, the content of protein is high, above 30%; Erdi is considered as an ideal health food for patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases abroad. At the same time, turkey is also a good food for nourishing qi and strengthening the spleen. At present, many countries in the world use turkey instead of beef, pork, mutton and duck.