Thanksgiving (disambiguation): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:36, 18 November 2005

Revision as of 16:48, 18 November 2005

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== Traditional celebration ==

Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated with a feast shared among friends and family. In both Canada and the United States, it is an important family gathering, and people often travel long distances to be with family members for the celebration. Thelonge Thanksgiving holiday is generally a "four-day weekend" (November 24th) in the United States, in which Americans are given the relevant Thursday and Friday off. Thanksgiving is usually celebrated almost entirely at home, unlike the [[Fourth of July]] or [[Christmas]], which are associated with a variety of shared public experiences (fireworks, caroling, etc). In Canada, it is a three-day weekend as Thanksgiving is observed on the second Monday of October every year.

Since at least the [[1930s]], the Christmas shopping season in the U.S. traditionally begins when Thanksgiving ends. In [[New York City]], the [[Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade]] is held annually every Thanksgiving Day in Midtown Manhattan. The parade features moving stands with specific themes, scenes from Broadway plays, large balloons of cartoon characters and TV personalities, and high school marching bands. It always ends with the image of [[Santa Claus]] passing the reviewing stand. Thanksgiving parades also occur in other cities like Plymouth, Houston, Philadelphia (which claims the oldest parade), and Detroit (where it is the only major parade of the year). Due to the earlier date, Santa Claus parades in Canada do not fall on Thanksgiving; the only major parade on that day in Canada is the [[Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest|Oktoberfest]] parade in [[Kitchener-Waterloo]].