AMERICAN THANKSGIVING

4 - Cooked bird The American Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November. It was established by President Abraham Lincoln in 1865 as a national holiday commemorating the early settlers’ gratefulness for their first harvest in the “New World.” It is celebrated by a feast representing abundance and the first harvest and is a time of family gatherings, with extensive traveling throughout the country. Although presented as a day of national unity with a formulaic menu, extensive variations across regions, and between ethnic, religious and socio-economic groups occur. There also are disputes over the actual history behind the holiday and the interpretations of it. Be that as it may, the holiday tends to be a significant one for many Americans, carrying potent memories of past celebrations, of gatherings of family and friends, and of favorite dishes.