FX.co ★ Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day

On Wednesday November 23, the day before Thanksgiving Day, active US President Barack Obama pardoned the turkey for the last time in his career.

Thanksgiving Day originated in the US in 1863 during Abraham Lincoln's presidency. Since then, the holiday is celebrated on every fourth Thursday of November. Families gather together at a feast table to remember the harvest dinner which was took place in Plymouth. The legend says that on that day pilgrims invited the Native Americans to share dinner with them.

Sarah Joseph Hale, a mother of five children, editor of Godey's Lady's Book and author of the book “Northwood”, was the one who introduced a turkey into the Thanksgiving menu. Apart from turkey there were pumpkin, potatoes, and yams. This food is put onto every feast table on Thanksgiving Day.

National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation, the ceremony of presenting a turkey to the US President, started back in 1870s. At that time Henry Vose, a Rhode Island turkey farmer, presented a turkey to the President each year. In 1914 all farmers nationwide started to send turkeys to the White House. However, in 1947 representatives of the National Turkey Federation presented a turkey to the President officially.

John F. Kennedy was the first president who set a turkey free in 1963. He looked at the bird and said, "We'll let this one grow."

George H. W. Bush instituted the turkey pardon as the official ceremony. Thanks to that, birds can live out their lives in veterinary centers and zoos. But due to obesity problems, their lives are short – just 3-4 years.

The family holiday which most Americans celebrate annually was not so happy this year. Sentiment was dampened by Trump's victory which divided the citizens into two camps. Politics is an urgent and controversial issue nowadays which can set one member of a family against the other.