Episode 1: Thanksgiving in the United States

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Welcome to English, please, the podcast where we explore captivating topics in under 10 minutes in clear, intermediate English. I’m your host, Christopher. I live and work in New York City, and I’m a language enthusiast who has always been interested in the most effective ways to learn a new language. 

Today, we have a special episode in store, as I’m going to talk about Thanksgiving for listeners who live outside of the United States. While the Thanksgiving holiday is officially celebrated in a few places other than the U. S., including Canada, Liberia, Grenada, and St. Lucia, I’m going to focus on Thanksgiving here in the United States, and I’ll tell you about some of the history and traditions. 

I’m also going to take a closer look at the grandeur of the Macy’s [00:01:00] Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, which incidentally takes place only a few blocks from my home. Finally, you’ll also hear about a very different day that occurs on the Friday after Thanksgiving. 

You might be asking, when exactly is Thanksgiving celebrated in the United States? Well, actually it’s not on a specific date. Instead, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November each year. Because the holiday isn’t on the same date each year, and because November sometimes has five Thursdays, as in 2023, a common question heard throughout autumn is, “When is Thanksgiving this year?” I should answer that question right now. In 2023, it takes place on November 23rd. 

Beyond its loose historical roots with the Pilgrims and Native Americans, Thanksgiving is a time when families and friends across the country come together to express gratitude for the things they have and appreciation for the people in their [00:02:00] lives. 

And yes, a big part of this is sharing a lavish feast. But before we talk too much about the food, a little bit of history: the present day Thanksgiving dinner is based on an actual feast shared by the Pilgrims who came from England to settle in the present day U. S. and their Native American neighbors in the year 1621. 

The story has become a little oversimplified, and there certainly is a lot of terrible history surrounding the treatment of Native Americans. But essentially, the two parties came together to celebrate the harvest of that year. 

Over the next two centuries, sharing a similar annual feast became a part of the lives of many people. There was no agreed upon day to celebrate, but people observed Thanksgiving sometime during the autumn. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving to be a national holiday, celebrated nationwide on the fourth Thursday of November. 

I want to [00:03:00] talk a little bit about the Thanksgiving traditions. Families coming together, sharing a bountiful meal, and taking a moment to reflect on the year’s blessings are at the core of the celebration. Traditionally, this meal consists of things like cranberry sauce, potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and of course, turkey. 

Ah, stuffing. In the context of Thanksgiving, “stuffing” refers to a savory mixture of bread, herbs, spices, and various ingredients like onions and celery. This mixture is then placed, or stuffed, inside the cavity of a turkey before cooking it. As the turkey cooks, the stuffing absorbs the flavors, resulting in a side dish that complements the finished turkey. Some people also prepare stuffing separately in a dish rather than inside the turkey. 

And why do people eat turkey on Thanksgiving? We know there was no turkey served at the original meal shared by the Pilgrims and Native Americans. So why, then? [00:04:00] The real reason Turkey is synonymous with Thanksgiving is not because of any actual events. It is because of two widely read writers. In 1827, Sarah Josepha Hale used a full chapter of her novel, Northwood to describe Thanksgiving in New England, and Turkey was the main dish. Charles Dickens also described Turkey as a holiday meal a few years later in his classic 1843 novel, The Christmas Carol. The idea caught on. 

Here in New York City, the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is another popular tradition associated with the holiday. Originating in 1924, the parade is a dazzling display of enormous balloons, marching bands, and music performances. Over 3 million people gather along the streets of New York City to see it in person, and millions more tune in to watch it on television. The sheer scale and creativity make it a visual extravaganza, [00:05:00] captivating audiences of all ages. The grand finale of the parade marks the official beginning of the holiday season, when Santa Claus appears and waves to the adoring crowd. 

Speaking of the beginning of the holiday season, there’s one more thing associated with Thanksgiving in the U. S. and its Black Friday on the day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday is the biggest day of the year for shopping in the US, and millions of people begin gathering during the night, or early morning, to wait for stores to open. Some begin gathering right after finishing Thanksgiving dinner! 

It’s a wild day of crowds and sales that can be chaotic, but it’s also a big tradition in the United States. The madness of Black Friday in many ways is the opposite of the warmth of Thanksgiving, but there’s no denying it’s a huge part of it. 

I hope this episode gave you a sense of the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States while helping you to improve your English listening [00:06:00] comprehension. Again, I’m Christopher, and I want to invite you to join me in future episodes of English, please to hear about many topics spanning all kinds of subjects, all focused on helping you with your English. Subscribe now and let’s embark on an exciting adventure together in clear, understandable English. 

I also encourage you to visit comullen.com/pod for more information. That’s C-O-M-U-L-L-E-N dot com slash P-O-D. See you soon!