December 6, 2006

The official start of the holiday season in the US is heralded by the arrival of Thanksgiving. This tradition is celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday of November and is a kind of harvest festival. It assumes more importance here than in other parts of the world because it is associated with the early settlers who first set foot in America.

Known as the Pilgrims, these people were members of a Puritan sect and had fled England to Holland in order to escape religious persecution. Though they enjoyed more religious tolerance in Holland, they did not take to the Dutch way of life and decided to go in search of a better life. About a hundred of these people touched American shores in 1620. Their first winter here was miserable owing to lack of adequate food and almost half of the original settlers died in this time. The Native Americans soon taught them to grow corn and to hunt and fish.

In the autumn of 1621 they had a bountiful harvest and planned a feast to offer their thanks to God. They invited the Native Americans who brought turkey and other wild game to be roasted for dinner. This tradition continued over the years and in 1863, after the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it a national holiday.  Though a variety of dishes are found on the dinner table on this day, roast turkey, corn, pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce are the foods primarily associated with Thanksgiving . In fact, Thanksgiving is also popularly known as “Turkey Day”.

Families gather together at the house of an elder to spend the day or the weekend. Charitable organizations have Thanksgiving dinners for the less fortunate, often the homeless who wander the streets. Each year a huge parade is held in New York City to commemorate the day. Held by Macy’s Department Store, the event has come to be known as “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade”. It has its origins in the 1920s and has grown in size since then.

Colorful floats, bands, and huge character balloons, are features of this parade which is telecast live by television channels all over the country. Garfield, Scooby Doo, Pikachu, and Snoopy, were but a few of the giant balloons in the parade this year. Santa Claus appears at the end of the parade signaling the ushering in of Christmas season. 

The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday and is believed to be the biggest day of shopping in the US. The name has been given due to heavy traffic, and the hectic nature of the day itself. All stores and retailers come up with unbelievable doorbuster deals and offers with sales starting as early as 5 am! The catch is that these low prices last only half the day till about 11 am or noon at best. Many people can be found lining up and camping outside stores the previous night braving the elements, so as to snag the best possible deals on Christmas gifts.

The Monday following Black Friday is known as Cyber Monday for this is when online shopping fever sets in! It is the turn of online retailers and stores to come up with the low-priced goodies. Many critics consider these days to be nothing but an encouragement to mass consumerism. Anti-consumerism activists have coined the term “Buy Nothing Day” in place of Black Friday. For many others it’s a time for some relaxation as most offices stay closed Thursday through Sunday providing them an opportunity to take a vacation or spend time with family.