THANKS GIVING

Thanksgiving Day, annual national holiday in the United

States and Canada celebrating the harvest and other
blessings of the past year. Americans generally believe that
their Thanksgiving is modeled on a 1621
harvest feast shared by the English colonists (Pilgrims)
of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people. The American holiday is particularly rich
in legend and symbolism, and the traditional fare of the Thanksgiving meal typically
includes turkey, bread stuffing, potatoes, cranberries, and pumpkin pie. With respect to vehicular
travel, the holiday is often the busiest of the year, as family members gather with one another.

Plymouth’s Thanksgiving began with a few colonists going out “fowling,” possibly for turkeys
but more probably for the easier prey of geese and ducks, since they “in one day killed as much
as…served the company almost a week.” Next, 90 or so Wampanoag made a surprise appearance
at the settlement’s gate, doubtlessly unnerving the 50 or so colonists. Nevertheless, over the next
few days the two groups socialized without incident. The Wampanoag contributed venison to the
feast, which included the fowl and probably fish, eels, shellfish, stews, vegetables, and beer.
Since Plymouth had few buildings and manufactured goods, most people ate outside while sitting
on the ground or on barrels with plates on their laps. The men fired guns, ran races, and
drank liquor, struggling to speak in broken English and Wampanoag. This was a rather
disorderly affair, but it sealed a treaty between the two groups that lasted until King Philip’s
War (1675–76), in which hundreds of colonists and thousands of Native Americans lost their
lives.

The New England colonists were accustomed to regularly celebrating “Thanksgivings,” days
of prayer thanking God for blessings such as military victory or the end of a drought. The
U.S. Continental Congress proclaimed a national Thanksgiving upon the enactment of the
Constitution, for example. Yet, after 1798, the new U.S. Congress left Thanksgiving declarations
to the states; some objected to the national government’s involvement in a religious observance,
Southerners were slow to adopt a New England custom, and others took offense over the day’s
being used to hold partisan speeches and parades. A national Thanksgiving Day seemed more
like a lightning rod for controversy than a unifying force.
Thanksgiving Day did not become an official holiday until Northerners dominated the
federal government. While sectional tensions prevailed in the mid-19th century, the editor of the
popular magazine Godey’s Lady’s Book, Sarah Josepha Hale, campaigned for a national
Thanksgiving Day to promote unity. She finally won the support of President Abraham Lincoln.
On October 3, 1863, during the Civil War, Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to
be celebrated on Thursday, November 26.
The holiday was annually proclaimed by every president thereafter, and the date chosen, with
few exceptions, was the last Thursday in November. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, however,
attempted to extend the Christmas shopping season, which generally begins with the
Thanksgiving holiday, and to boost the economy by moving the date back a week, to the third
week in November. But not all states complied, and, after a joint resolution of Congress in 1941,
Roosevelt issued a proclamation in 1942 designating the fourth Thursday in November (which is
not always the last Thursday) as Thanksgiving Day.
FATHERS DAY
Father’s Day is celebrated worldwide to recognize the contribution that fathers and father figures
make to the lives of their children. This day celebrates fatherhood and male parenting. Although
it is celebrated on a variety of dates worldwide, many countries observe this day on the third
Sunday in June.

What Do People Do?

The date when Father’s Day is celebrated varies from country to country. It is celebrated
in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States on the third Sunday of June. It is also
observed in countries such as Argentina, Canada, France, Greece, India, Ireland, Mexico,
Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, and Venezuela. In Australia and New Zealand Father’s Day is
on the first Sunday in September. In Thailand it is celebrated on December 5, which is the
birthday of the country’s king. Brazilian dads are honored on the second Sunday of August.
On Father’s Day many people make a special effort for their fathers or father figures. Some
people visit their fathers, while others give cards, flowers or other gifts, such as clothing or
sporting equipment, or luxury food items. Father's Day is a relatively modern holiday, so
different families have different traditions. These can range from a simple phone call or greetings
card to large parties honoring all father figures in an extended family. Father figures can include
fathers, step-fathers, fathers-in-law, grandfathers, great-grandfathers and even other male
relatives.
Father's Day in India is a relatively new concept but it is celebrated in similar ways as in the
United Kingdom or the United States, although on a smaller scale. There is a greater awareness
of Fathers Day events in metropolitan cities and bigger towns due to the greater exposure of
people to the western cultures in these areas. In Mexico Father’s Day is referred to as “Día del
Padre”, where many families get together, prepare meals and distribute gifts to fathers or father
figures. In South Africa, many social and cultural societies host Father's Day celebrations to
stress the important role of fathers in nurturing children and building stronger society.

Public Life
Father's Day is not a federal holiday in most countries, with exception to Thailand because it
falls on the same day as the King’s Birthday, which is a public holiday. For other countries,
Father’s Day is on a Sunday, so public offices are closed on this day and very few organizations
are open for business. Public transit systems run to their weekend schedules. It is important for
people wanting to dine in a restaurant on Father’s Day to think about booking in advance
because restaurants may be busier than usual, as many people take their fathers out for a treat.

Background and symbols

There are some suggestions that the idea of Father's Day may originate in pagan sun worship.
Some branches of paganism see the Sun as the father of the universe. The June solstice occurs
around the same time of year as Father's Day so some people see a link between the two.
The idea of a special day to honor fathers and celebrate fatherhood was introduced from the
United States. There, a woman called Sonora Smart Dodd was inspired by the American
Mother's Day celebrations to plan a day to honor fathers. In the USA, Father's Day has been
celebrated in June since 1910. The celebrations in the United Kingdom and other countries are
thought to have been inspired by the American custom of Father's Day. This is in contrast
to Mother's Day, which has a very different history in the United States and united kingdom.

HALLOWEEN
Halloween falls on October 31st each year in North America and other parts of the world. What
do you know about Halloween?
Vocabulary

to evolve (v)- to change little by little

spirit (n)- ghost, some people believe the spirit and body separate when a person dies

holy (adj)- sacred, very good, related to religion. Hallow comes from the word holy.

saint (n)- an honored, holy person

evil (adj)- very, very bad

lantern (n)- lamp or enclosed light that can be carried around

turnip (n)- a purple and white vegetable that grows in the ground

Like many other holidays, Halloween has evolved and changed

throughout history. Over 2,000 years ago people called the Celts lived
in what is now Ireland, the UK, and parts of Northern France.
November 1 was their New Year's Day. They believed that the night
before the New Year (October 31) was a time when the living and the dead came together.

More than a thousand years ago the Christian church named November 1 All Saints Day (also
called All Hallows.) This was a special holy day to honor the saints and other people who died
for their religion. The night before All Hallows was called Hallows Eve. Later the name was
changed to Halloween.

Like the Celts, the Europeans of that time also believed that the spirits of the dead would visit the
earth on Halloween. They worried that evil spirits would cause problems or hurt them. So on that
night people wore costumes that looked like ghosts or other evil creatures. They thought if they
dressed like that, the spirits would think they were also dead and not harm them.

The tradition of Halloween was carried to America by the immigrating Europeans. Some of the
traditions changed a little, though. For example, on Halloween in Europe some people would
carry lanterns made from turnips. In America, pumpkins were more common. So people began
putting candles inside them and using them as lanterns. That is why you see Jack 'o lanterns
today.
These days Halloween is not usually considered a religious holiday. It is primarily a fun day for
children. Children dress up in costumes like people did a thousand years ago. But instead of
worrying about evil spirits, they go from house to house. They knock on doors and say "trick or
treat." The owner of each house gives candy or something special to each trick or treater.