Culture Lesson: American Thanksgiving

Read through the following information on American Thanksgiving and match up the key words (in bold) to their definitions:

Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. In 1621, after a very tough first year in their new land, the Pilgrim's first harvest of crops was successful and plentiful. They found that they had enough food to store for the winter season. To celebrate and show their gratitude they had a large meal. This element continues in modern times with the Thanksgiving dinner. Eating plays a large role in the celebration of Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving Day, families and friends usually gather for a large meal including turkey. The Thanksgiving holiday weekend is one of the busiest travel periods of the year. In the United States, Thanksgiving is a four or five-day weekend vacation in school and college calendars. Major American cities have parades, the most famous being New York's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. American football is also a major part of Thanksgiving celebrations in the United States. Professional games are traditionally played on Thanksgiving Day.

Key Words:

harvest - plentiful - store - celebrate - gratitude - gather - turkey - parades

Link: Reading information on signs

• The feeling of being grateful:
• A large bird grown for its meat on farms:
• More than enough, or a large amount:
• Large numbers of people walking or in vehicles, all going in the same direction, as part of public celebrations:
• The time of year when crops are cut and collected from the fields:
• To take part in special enjoyable activities in order to show that a particular occasion is important:
• To collect or obtain several things:
• To put or keep things in a special place for use in the future: