Thanksgiving Day

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Thanksgiving Day

Look at the statement below and discuss it with your partner. Do you agree? Why/Why not?

Holidays help to bring families closer.

Where is Thanksgiving Day celebrated?

 
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Quiz Time!

Take the quiz. Use the Internet to help you.

Thanksgiving is celebrated in the US and Canada

  • on the same day.
  • on different days.
  • in the same month.

A part of the story of Thanksgiving Day involves English settlers[annotation: settler [ˈsetlə(r)] – asunik] who sailed to the USA in a ship named

  • Mayflower.
  • Marchflower.
  • Juneflower.

When the settlers arrived in the USA, it was too late in the year to plant[annotation: plant [plɑːnt] – istutama], so they had very little fresh food. The winter that year was very hard as well. Luckily, they got help from

  • other British settlers that came there.
  • other European settlers that were there already.
  • Native Americans.

The Wampanoag tribe[annotation: tribe [traɪb] – hõim] taught the settlers how to

  • hunt for buffalos.
  • grow corn.
  • make bread.

The typical modern Thanksgiving includes

  • a big party with all the neighbours invited.
  • coming together in the home of an older member of the family.
  • remembering the Native Americans.

Around Thanksgiving schools have

  • a one-week break.
  • no break at all.
  • a four-day break.
Help
discount – allahindlus
pass away – surema

The Friday after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday, and it’s

  • a huge shopping day with lots of discounts everywhere.
  • a day when lots of candles and lamps are lit, especially in the northern parts of the US.
  • a day to give thanks to those family members who have passed away.

Which of these is a typical Thanksgiving dinner food?

  • fruit
  • turkey
  • hamburgers

Which of these isn’t a typical Thanksgiving dinner food?

  • mashed potatoes
  • rice
  • pumpkin pie
Help
bait – sööt, peibutis
heal – ravima
dye – värvaine

In addition to corncobs[annotation: corncob [ˈkɔːnkɒb] – maisitõlvik], cranberries[annotation: cranberry [ˈkrænb(ə)ri] – jõhvikas] are one of the Thanksgiving symbols. How didn’t the Native Americans use cranberries?

  • as a bait to trap deer
  • to heal infections
  • as a dye to colour pictures
In the US, the days right before and after Thanksgiving are some of the busiest travel days of the year.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City
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Thanksgiving Celebrations

One of the earliest Thanksgiving celebrations dates back to 1621. It was  three-day feast shared by the newly arrived English settlers (the Pilgrims) and the Native American Wampanoag people. Until  19th century, individual states celebrated days of thanksgiving  different dates, while some parts of the US were not even familiar  the tradition.

Sarah Josepha Hale, an American writer and activist as well  the author of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, wanted Thanksgiving  become a national holiday. She put in a lot of effort to make that happen by writing editorials[annotation: editorial [ˌedɪˈtɔːriəl] – juhtkiri] about it and even sending letters  American presidents. Abraham Lincoln responded to her request and proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day  1863. As for Sarah Josepha Hale, she became the “Mother of Thanksgiving”.

Thanksgiving Day used  be celebrated on the last Thursday of November. This meant that depending  the year, it was either the fourth or fifth one. In 1941, after President Franklin D. Roosevelt  gone against the tradition, the date was fixed by the US Congress as the fourth Thursday of November.

Adapted from history.com
  1. relating to a whole country rather than its part – 
  2. physical or mental energy – 
  3. a person who works to produce political or social change – 
  4. a large or special meal for a lot of people – 
  5. the act of asking for something formally and politely – 
  6. a person who goes to live in a new region or country – 
  7. to announce something publicly and officially – 
  8. knowing something very well – 
  9. to decide on a date for something – 

rost    trkey

pupkin    pe

crnberr   suce

mahed   pottos

Go Online

A. What are some other typical Thanksgiving dishes? What are they served with? Tell the class.
B. What are the following items, and how are they connected with Thanksgiving Day? Explain in your own words.
  • turkey pardoning
  • Buy Nothing Day
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Now You!

Pairwork

Discuss the following questions with your partner.
  1. Do you have any family traditions related to expressing gratitude?
  2. What holidays are celebrated in Estonia in November? How are they celebrated?

Example:
I am grateful for my hobbies – not only do they let me explore my passions, but they also connect me with like-minded people.

There are many ways to use grateful in a sentence. Study the collocations below:

  • grateful (to someone) for something
  • grateful to do something
  • grateful that + clause[explanation: clause [klɔːz] – osalause]
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