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This traditional roots of this holiday is the feast of the Pilgrims
and the Native Americans after the first harvest in the "new
world." Through the years, the different colonies developed
days for either celebrating the harvest, or just for providing thanks to
G-d. The two ideologies merged over the years, and in 1863, Abraham
Lincoln declared the last Thursday of November a day of Thanksgiving. |
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Thanksgiving
History & Traditions
Thanksgiving
Day (Thanksgiving Traditions): Information on the holiday, its beginnings,
food, and celebratory traditions.
Thanksgiving
on the Net (Thanksgiving.net): Information, articles and other related
material on the holiday.
The
First Thanksgiving (Scholastic): Informative site on Thanksgiving and
the early colonists. A good site for kids. Includes activities
for teachers.
The
History of Thanksgiving (History Channel): An in-depth look at the
holiday and its origins.
Recipes for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
(All Recipes): A site with over 750 recipes for Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving
Recipes (The Recipe Link): Many links to recipes and recipe sites
around the web.
Historical Places
Town
of Plymouth (official site): Information on the historic town of
Plymouth, Massachusetts.
America's Homepage
(Plymouth, MA): Official tourguide website for Plymouth, Massachusetts,
the landing site of the Pilgrims.
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On this day of feasting and giving thanks for all we have,
the traditional gifts are usually food related - specifically harvest
fruit and vegetables. Harvest Foods: There is
nothing like a fresh platter of fruits or vegetables to show holiday
cheer. Besides bringing a nice gift, you also have a great healthy
alternative for desert. Some options available to you are: (1) Buy a
nice tray with colored saran wrap then pick out fruit or vegetables from
your local market and make a platter; (2) Purchase a ready made platter
from your local supermarket; or (3) Order some great ready fruit baskets
for Thanksgiving or sign up the gift recipient for a fruit of the month
club,
to give cheer all year long. Beverages:
Thanksgiving is a holiday of food. Most go to someone's house to
celebrate this day. If the hosts drink alcohol, wine is always an
appropriate gift (it looks more classy than a 6-pack of beer). A nice
white wine is good for a turkey dinner. I would also choose a
domestic (American grown) wine for this American holiday. Travel:
If you want to celebrate the history of the Thanksgiving holiday, a trip
to Plymouth, Massachusetts during this time of year would be be
great. New England in general is always a fantastic place to visit,
full of history and beauty. You may need to bundle up because it
might be a little cold, but there is plenty of good food and drink to warm
you up along the way.
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