Chhabed Sathee: Today, Thursday (27 November), is Thanksgiving Day in the United States.Thanksgiving Day is a day of gratitude — a day to thank God. Every year on the fourth or last Thursday of November, the U.S. officially celebrates Thanksgiving Day. On this day, rich and poor alike enjoy the traditional turkey feast. Families across the country prepare turkey for both lunch and dinner.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Americans eat nearly 50 million turkeys on Thanksgiving Day alone.
This accounts for about 21 percent of all turkeys raised annually — roughly equal to the entire population of Spain. In total, Americans consume around 1.4 billion pounds of turkey during the holiday season.
According to the National Turkey Federation, about 88 percent of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving.
The Federation reports that Americans eat 90 million turkeys per year. Of these, 50 million are eaten on Thanksgiving Day, 22 million at Christmas, and 19 million on Easter Sunday.
The origins of Thanksgiving date back to the autumn of 1621, when early American settlers — primarily clergy who had arrived from England — celebrated a moment of goodwill with Native Americans by exchanging crops and goods.
In continuation of that tradition, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln officially declared the day as “Thanksgiving Holiday,” urging Americans to cherish the message of peace and friendship. Since then, the United States celebrates the historic spirit of unity each year with various festivities. It is a national holiday.
Canada celebrates a similar day on the second Monday of October.
Over the past two weeks, about 45 million turkeys have been bought and sold in the U.S., significantly more than last year. Even low-income Americans who cannot afford turkey received them through a nonprofit called “Food Share.”
On Thanksgiving, it is almost a must to have turkey. With a four-day long holiday, people travel to visit loved ones, causing heavy traffic in both air and road transportation. In the past three days, hundreds of thousands of travelers have been on the move. Thanksgiving consistently sees the highest travel volume of the year in the U.S.
Domestic flight ticket sales double during this holiday. Because of growing air travel each year, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) introduced a new rule last year: children under 12 and senior citizens no longer need to remove their shoes during airport security checks. This rule remains in effect, much to the relief of many travelers. How long this will continue remains to be seen.
Bangladeshis living in the U.S. are also participating in the festivities. Many are searching for halal turkey in local grocery stores. As in previous years, Bangladeshi- and Muslim-owned groceries in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, Virginia, Florida, Texas, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and other states have stocked and sold large quantities of halal turkey. For the past three days, these stores have seen brisk sales.
The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday, and anticipation for it is no less intense. Two-thirds of Americans wait an entire year for this day.
Especially lower- and middle-income families hope to buy good products at low prices. For nearly two weeks beforehand, TV and newspapers are filled with ads displaying discount lists. Prices of essential goods are slashed by 50 to 70 percent.
Electronics are in particularly high demand — TVs, refrigerators, laptops, computers, iPhones, iPads, and more.
From midnight on Thursday, shoppers line up in front of stores and wait until they open at 6 a.m. But every year something unusual happens: instead of lining up at midnight, thousands of people start lining up as early as 8 or 9 p.m. on Thursday.
BP/SM
