2008 Woodie Awards
Thanksgiving: plenty of food, fun, and family traditions
Holly Bergin
Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: features
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So here in America, what do we associate with this holiday? The entire month of November, elementary schools are flooded with artwork of students including life-size pilgrim cutouts, fall leaves adorned with names on the weekly jobs chart, or the ever-so-popular hand-traced turkey. The popular story of Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims and Indians is told year after year. Mom makes quite possibly the largest turkey you'll ever see for the entire family and her awesome homemade stuffing that just tastes that much better when it's cooked on Thanksgiving Day.
Thanksgiving dates back to the early 17th century after the Plymouth settlers (who later came to be called the "Pilgrims") celebrated their first harvest. They were especially grateful to a Native American and former British slave, Squanto, who taught them to catch eel, grow corn, and even served as a language interpreter. The celebration included a large feast of food and praising God. Since that time, Thanksgiving has adapted to what we know today.
In the United States, Thanksgiving is one of the biggest holidays when it comes to traditions. Different families hold century-old traditions to give thanks and spend time together on what is intended to be a loving and appreciative holiday. The traditional Thanksgiving meal witnessed time and time again includes turkey, stuffing, gravy, potatoes of some sort, cranberries, veggies galore, and in some cases, even a glass or two of wine.
Many families spend Thanksgiving together in a large group, and plan special activities for the day that become traditions over the years. It is common to go around the table before sitting down to a delectable feast and saying what it is we are thankful for this year; family and friends tending to be top contenders for the title year after year.
When asked about any fun or cool traditions their families had, students had some interesting stories to share.
Angela Sariego, a junior secondary education/history major, said that her family makes their own bread and gets it blessed at church. Afterward, they pass it around the table, breaking off a piece saying what they are thankful for.