Interesting holidays. Thanksgiving and Black Friday

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in Canada, the United States, some of the Caribbean and Liberia. It is celebrated in the United States on the 4th Thursday in November, and in Canada - on the 2nd Monday in October. In these countries it is an official holiday. The tradition of the holiday in the United States and Canada has its origins in English settlers, but in the United Kingdom it is not a major holiday. Similar holidays exist in Germany and Japan.

In essence, it is a religious holiday, expressing people's gratitude to God for the fertile harvest and the things that have been acquired over the past year thanks to His generosity. The holiday is one of the most loved and revered in the United States, and over time it is increasingly becoming a secular holiday. Sometimes it is casually mentioned as turkey day. Similarly to us - Christmas is identified with the Christmas holidays. Thanksgiving is celebrated from the time before the United States was created.

December 4, when the first pilgrims celebrated Thanksgiving after surviving with the help of Indians during the first severe winter of their stay on American soil, is generally considered to be the starting day of the holiday in the United States.

There is another opinion that the earliest celebration in the lands of the United States was on September 8, 1565, in the lands of present-day Florida. There is also strong evidence of a celebration of the holiday in 1578 in the lands of Canada.

Thanksgiving in the United States is celebrated on various dates in history. By the middle of the 20th century, the last Thursday in November had become the usual Thanksgiving in most US states. However, it was not until December 26, 1941, that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed a bill approved by Congress that made Thanksgiving the fourth (not last) Thursday of November a public holiday.

Thanksgiving in Canada was not a fixed date. Until the end of the 19th century, it was usually held on November 6. After the end of the First World War, Thanksgiving and Remembrance Day were usually held in the same week. To prevent the merging of two holidays, in 1957 the Canadian Parliament declared Thanksgiving to be celebrated on its current date.

In the United States, turkey is traditionally served with a filling, preferably to it, which may consist of rice, potatoes, corn and other additives, as well as other traditional foods.

 

Black Friday

 

Black Friday - in English: Black Friday, in modern US culture is the day after Thanksgiving. It is always Friday, which is considered the beginning of the Christmas market.

On this day, a reduction in commodity prices is usually offered, and profit-sensitive Americans begin crazy shopping. Many employers take into account the interest of their subordinates and give a day off to employees in the company. On Black Friday, stores open very early - around 5 in the morning, and some of the largest retail chains - even at midnight.

Consumer interest in Black Friday is constantly growing, as evidenced by the ranking of the 10 days of the year with the highest sales.

The term "Black Friday" first appeared in Philadelphia in the early 1960s. With it, local police officers called the Friday after Thanksgiving because of heavy traffic on the roads and heavy traffic jams.

Several NGOs consider stress on this day to be extremely harmful.  That's why in 1997, these organizations called on Americans to turn the day after Thanksgiving into a day without buying.