Family Traditions Recipes Food Cooking International Guide
Family Traditions On Thanksgiving Day
By Imogen T Stubbs
An American Thanksgiving is steeped in not just history but family
traditions as well. It seems that most have particular traditions,
whether it is watching movies or sports on television, using special
plates and dishes on the dinner table, crafting decorations for
the home or drawing names for Christmas gift giving.
Yet there do seem to be a few tried-and-true traditions that
are more often celebrated than others. The National Turkey Federation
says that 95% of Americans serve turkey on Thanksgiving Day. Of
course there are regional differences as to how the tradition
of turkey preparation is carried out.
For instance, in Hawaii they enjoy coffee rubbed turkey, while
in the New England area they love the salt encrusted turkey, claiming
it is an excellent way to hold in the juices. And, of course,
in the south they love their deep fried turkey.
The Tradition Of Watching Football On Thanksgiving Day
The second most often observed of the family traditions is watching
football games on Thanksgiving Day; it is said that no Thanksgiving
Day is complete without some quality time either watching or tossing
the pigskin.
It is considered to be as much a part of this holiday as the
traditional food offerings. It dates back to 1876 when the first
intercollegiate football game championship was held on Thanksgiving
Day and has become so popular that some say Thanksgiving is now
a holiday that was recognized by the nation in order to get the
family together to watch a game of football.
Watching A Parade
That brings us to another great tradition, which is to watch
a parade. This tradition originally started with the first one
in 1920, which was put on by the Gimbel's department store.
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade began in 1924 and has been
growing ever since, becoming an annual event with bands, floats
and balloons. It is now watched by over 46 million people every
year both on television and in person along the route.
Making A Wish
Next among the popular family traditions is making a wish. Does
your family have trouble deciding over who will be tugging on
each end of the wishbone from your turkey? If so, then you are
not alone, as this tradition goes all the way back to 322 B.C.,
when the Etruscans did the same, with the one getting the larger
piece having their wish granted.
This tradition was kept alive by the Romans who took it with
them when they took over England, and then the English brought
the tradition to this country, thus making it a popular American
tradition at Thanksgiving.
Attending Church Service And Volunteering At Soup Kitchens
And the last, but definitely not the least of Thanksgiving customs
is to give thanks. Thanksgiving is all about the giving of thanks
and can be shown through attending church services and saying
Thanksgiving Day prayers.
Saying a prayer before sitting down to enjoy the wonderful meal
can also be made into another tradition by allowing a different
family member the opportunity to say the blessing each year.
Also, in keeping with the spirit of sharing, many Americans volunteer
their time at soup kitchens, by serving food and giving companionship
to those who are less fortunate.
Of course, there are many other family traditions and you don't
have to just stick with the old ones; you can always start your
own new family holiday traditions. They don't have to be big or
elaborate, or expensive to implement, just something that you
can enjoy together as a family in order to celebrate this wonderful
time of year.
About the Author:
Imogen T Stubbs has written a number of articles on kitchen, food
and cooking including First
Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving
Day, Hot
Water, Refrigerator
Water Filter, Water
Filtering System, Whole
House Water.
Keep a lookout for more of her articles on this website.
Did You Know?
What are some parts of Thanksgiving traditions?
Thanksgiving traditions vary so greatly that
there is no one set of rules that govern them. One family may
cook an elaborate dinner and invite friends, family members and
coworkers to their home to enjoy the food.
Others may order in and prefer not to go
to the hassle of cooking. Some families will use the day as a
reason to see each other, particularly if they live far away from
each other. Another tradition may be to serve in the local food
kitchen helping those less fortunate than you.
US citizens are always bombarded with
turkey images when it comes to Thanksgiving so there are always
turkeys roasted, fried and baked on Thanksgiving Day.
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