As the Sun approaches the shores of the United States to-day, a very special holiday breaks. It is Thanksgiving, something that has been celebrated official in the US since 1863. It was President Abraham Lincoln who proclaimed a national holiday that year but the concept dates from much earlier. The first thanksgiving was observed to thank God for safely guiding the settler to the New World. It lasted for three days and had enough food for 13 Pilgrims and 90 Native Americans.
To-day, Thanksgiving is still a major holiday when most Americans are heading home, not unlike Europeans do at Christmas. It is a major boost to the travel industry, among them the airlines of course.
Of course, the significance of Thanksgiving is only partially in spending it with our loved ones. The significance is in seeing a nation bow its head in acceptance of the gifts received in so many forms, acknowledging that without the helping hand of a higher power we would be much poorer in spiritual wealth.
A less well known element of this festive season is Black Friday. This is the Friday following Thanksgiving and is traditionally the start of the Christmas shopping season. It is called “black” because retailers make their profit and so avoid going into the “red”… Most stores open early on this day (4 a.m. or earlier is not unusual) and prices are slashed on millions of much sought after items. Some stores are the scenes of pretty wild tumults as shoppers vie for items the stocks of which are limited. Ah well…
Happy Thanksgiving America!