Thanksgiving is celebrated in the United States and Canada, and springs from the harvest festivals of years past. In the United States, the holiday celebrates the assistance the Native Americans gave early English settlers after the first harvest of 1621. The Wampanoag tribe taught the pilgrims how to grow local crops (corn) and live off the bounty of the new land.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States)
The holiday, as known in modern times, is a day to give thanks and celebrate with family and friends.
As an international student, you may be a long way from home and unable to gather with family. There are many things you can still do you celebrate the holiday, such as:
- Cook with friends http://www.recipezaar.com/ http://www.foodnetwork.com/
- Eat out at a restaurant (my choice) http://www.crackerbarrel.com/ http://www.lubys.com/ , http://houston.citysearch.com/roundup/38070/
- Order the meal http://www.bostonmarket.com/home , http://www.lubys.com/ , http://www.crackerbarrel.com/ grocery stores
- Volunteer you time http://www.volunteermatch.org/
You may have heard people talk about 'Black Friday'..but what is it? It is the day after Thanksgiving and the biggest shopping day in the United States. Where does the name come from? Retailers typically used red ink in ledgers to show shortfalls and black ink to denote profit. The Friday after Thanksgiving was typically the day retailers made huge profits and could use black ink. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_(shopping)
Look for the ads in the newspaper on Thanksgiving and you may be able to score some deals. Black Friday ads are also listed online: http://www.blackfriday.info/
Happy Thanksgiving!
