Thanksgiving

 

Thanksgiving is an ancient harvest festival celebrated around the globe. People have long held celebrations, for example, to express their gratitude for successful harvests of food.The purpose of many of these early harvest festivals was to please the gods or spirits that were believed to control the growth of corn and other crops. A lot of early cultures believed that if the gods were happy, the harvest would be large. But if the gods were angry, crops wouldn’t grow and possible starvation would follow. People have long held celebrations, for example, to express their gratitude for successful harvests of food. Baisakhi and Lohri are a few Indian festivals that are similar to this.

The ancient Egyptians celebrated a festival in April, the time of the grain harvest, to honor Min, the god of fertility. The festival began with a parade to Min’s shrine in which the Pharaoh (a ruler in ancient Egypt) often joined, followed by religious ceremonies: music, dancing, and a feast.

The ancient Greeks celebrated the festival of Thesmophoria to honor Demeter, the goddess of corn. Married women built leafy shelters to begin the three-day event which included people fasting on the second day, feasting and making offerings to Demeter on the third day. They also held occasional days of thanksgiving to express their gratitude to the gods for specific positive events, such as a successful battle or journey.

The Chinese celebrate Chung Ch’ui during the full moon that occurs in the eight month of the year, according to the Chinese lunar calendar. The feast linked with this festival includes specially baked Mooncakes.  At the time when China had been conquered by Mongols, they made plans to attack the invaders and spread the news among the people by distributing mooncakes with messages hidden inside. This element of surprise helped the Chinese defeat the invaders and regain control of their country.

The Cornucopia is one of the most recognizable symbols of Thanksgiving. It is a horn or basket

Overflowing with fruits, vegetables, grains, and flowers. It’s name comes from the Latin term cornu copiae, meaning “horn of plenty.” It later became a symbol of America, which many hopeful newcomers viewed as a land of plenty. A common feature of Thanksgiving decorations in modern times, it often serves as the centerpiece of tables set for the holiday meals. Later when hunters wanted to celebrate the festival they introduced Turkey as a feast and people adopted it at scale. In the US, appetizers like stuffed celery, baked pumpkin seeds, and cheese balls are common. Desserts like apple pie, pumpkin pie, cranberry cheesecake etc. are relished.

All in all Thanksgiving includes big feasts and specific types of food, but mainly it’s expressing your thanks and gratitude towards god for harvests, meeting friends and family and homecoming . My Thanksgiving holiday starts today for the next 10 days and I hope I get to meet a lot of friends and family and celebrate this Thanksgiving with them.