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Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving Feast
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The first recorded observance of Thanksgiving in America was a religious occasion that did not include the feast now associated with the holiday. On December 4, 1619, a small group of English settlers arrived at Berkeley Plantation on the James River in Virginia. In accordance with their charter, the group observed this day by giving thanks to God.
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As the leaves turn their autumn shade and the mantles of crackling fire places are trimmed for the holidays, Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year to capture picture-perfect family moments. Whether you're snapping pictures of setting the table, basting the turkey, raising champagne flutes for your dinner toast, the splendors of your holiday feast, or a quick game of touch football in the backyard, your photos tell a unique holiday story that can be quickly transformed into a hardcover book that can be shared and enjoyed with loved ones as part of your holiday celebration. The StoryTeller software features drag-and-drop design templates that make it easy for kids, parents and grandparents to add personal touches to the personalized coffee-table book you create. With easy-to-use image editing options, including red-eye removal, brightness and contrast adjustments, you can make photos look their best, as well as add fun captions in special font colors. In fact, users can choose from six different book styles with 60 unique page layouts and 18 cover selections.
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Thanksgiving meals are traditionally family events where certain kinds of food are served. As is evidenced by the tremendous level of travel, significant effort is made by family members to gather for the Thanksgiving celebration. Family participation is notably inclusive ranging from the very youngest to the most senior. First and foremost, turkey is the featured item in most Thanksgiving feasts (so much so that Thanksgiving is sometimes facetiously referred to as "Turkey Day"). However, a recent campaign by Virginians made the claim that the meal should follow the 1619 Berkeley tradition of ham, not turkey for the holiday meal.[3] Stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, corn, turnips, rolls, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie are commonly associated with Thanksgiving dinner, although it was quite probable that many of these culinary items did not feature in the first Thanksgiving in 1621.[4] Often guests bring food items or help with cooking in the kitchen as part of a communal meal.
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To this day, Thanksgiving dinner almost always includes some of the foods served at the first feast: roast turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, pumpkin pie. Before the meal begins, families or friends usually pause to give thanks for their blessings, including the joy of being united for the occasion.
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This First Thanksgiving has been widely promoted since the late nineteenth century as a source of national origins. The types of public events during Thanksgiving have changed over time and have included church services, shooting matches, and—in nineteenth-century cities—military parades, masquerades, child begging, and charity banquets. Persisting public activities include games between football rivals (beginning in 1876) and spectacular commercially sponsored parades, such as the Macy's parade in New York City starting in 1924. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt changed the traditional observance from the last to the penultimate Thursday in 1939 (a year when November had five Thursdays) to extend the holiday shopping season. The controversy surrounding the alteration... led to a congressional resolution in 1941 that fixed the official holiday as the fourth Thursday in November. The heavy volume of travel over the four-day weekend originated in the nineteenth-century tradition of homecoming, when urban residents returned to celebrate their rural roots and feast on native foods such as turkey (which is such a central symbol that the holiday is sometimes called Turkey Day).
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Originating from the harvest festivals of centuries past, the modern Thanksgiving holiday is celebrated with traditions that center around family gatherings, thankfulness, and bountiful feasts. Grab another slice of pumpkin pie (don't forget the whipped cream!), take a seat, and see how much you know about this holiday's history.
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Thanksgiving Feast