Definition Essay About Thanksgiving

Definition
I was sitting at a large table with all my family surrounding me. My stomach was growling, and my mouth was nearly salivating for the delicious looking plate of steaming food in front of me. I quickly devoured the food, enjoying every bite. Then, once I was finished eating and everyone else was, we got together in the living room. We played games and chatted, because we hadn't all been together in months. Food, smiles, and good times were all abundant that day. The day explained was my Thanksgiving. While many people have different understandings of what Thanksgiving is in modern times, Thanksgiving is an annual cultural tradition where you acknowledge being thankful by getting together with family and having a wholesome meal.
The origin of this tradition dates all the way to 1621. Pilgrims from Europe migrated to America in seek of religious freedom. Once on shore, the pilgrims settled and made a colony at a site called Plymouth. After the first years successful crops, the governor held a feast. He invited a friendly Native American tribe, called the Wampanoag, to join them. The

good harvest of that year prompted the Pilgrims to have the feast in thanks to their God for the crops.The feast symbolized a truce and friendship between Pilgrims and Native Americans lasting many years after. The thankful feast was so notorious that it was turned into a national holiday on the fourth Thursday of November every year. This historic meal is the reason on Thanksgiving we get to see our relatives and enjoy an impressive feast. (History.com Staff)
Thanksgiving isn’t just a date, it isn't a meal, it isn't a memorial ceremony, it's connecting with family and loved ones over a wholesome meal. Thanksgiving is a holiday, but it's different than other holidays. It’s independent of other holidays, because it is in the fall, no gifts are exchanged, a huge meal is eaten, typically involving turkey, and it's not mainly centered on religious beliefs in how it's celebrated today. This holiday isn’t controversial in the media. It is a part of cultural heritage with Americans and myself. You do not have to be of a certain religion to celebrate this holiday; instead, you have to have some cultural heritage.The atmosphere of Thanksgiving isn’t sad or serious like other holidays. The atmosphere is happy and warming. Thanksgiving separates itself from other holidays with its openness and benevolent characteristics.
Thanksgiving is defined by Dictionary.com as, “an expression of thanks, especially to God.” This definition derives from the thanks the Pilgrims gave to their God for the good harvest.

This definition isn’t the definition I know as Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a holiday and tradition, but it isn’t mainly focused around giving thanks to a god. It’s similar in how the holiday of Cinco de Mayo was formed to honor a military victory, but now it's celebrated for expressing Mexican culture for enjoyment purposes (History.com Staff). Nowadays, Thanksgiving is practiced for being thankful for your family and the food we have. The reason we gather up with our family and have a nice big meal, is because we are recognizing how thankful we are to have them. It is a day of thankfulness among ourselves, and not to a God, where we cherish and spend time with friends while having a

feast.
The definition of Thanksgiving has developed and changed with time to a universal tradition practiced by people with some cultural heritage. The misconception that Thanksgiving is a word that you must be religious to partake in it is not correct with what Thanksgiving is today. Thanksgiving is now an annual tradition where you acknowledge being thankful by getting together with family and having a wholesome meal. Seeing relatives, chomping down on a turkey leg, and having good conversations with loved ones are all common attributes associated with the word. Whether you are explaining the word to a friend or practicing it, do not forget what Thanksgiving now is with modern times.