The meaning of Thanksgiving

  On Thursday, November 26th of 1863 in the middle of the American Civil War President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving day.  Franklin Roosevelt repeated the announcement, but on November 26, 1941, he admitted his mistake and signed a bill into law officially making the fourth Thursday in November the national holiday of Thanksgiving Day, November 24th. https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving

 The main meaning of Thanksgiving is the act of giving thanks and grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favors, especially to God. Thanksgiving is that one time of the year when families and friends get together. 

We began to ask questions about people’s traditions and what Thanksgiving means to them. We first talked to Isabel Pichardo, a freshman at Buena park high. She spends the day with her family and takes into consideration what they’re thankful for.

 The meaning of Thanksgiving to her is being with family and being grateful for what shre has. Isabel celebrates by making a feast including turkey, mashed potatoes, rice, soda, and juice. She also bakes desserts like flan, jelly, or cake with her family. One of the dishes that Isabel always makes on Thanksgiving is turkey. Isabel states “the reason why Thanksgiving is so important to me is that it’s a holiday where we celebrate what we’re thankful for and celebrate as a family.” 

Bryanna Garcia, a sophomore. Celebrates Thanksgiving with her family. They celebrate because her family loves cooking together and is a way for them to bond. When we asked Bryanna what was the definition of Thanksgiving for her she said “Thanksgiving to me is spending time with family and recognizing my privileges in life that other people might not have.” A way she celebrates Thanksgiving is by cooking with her family and watching movies together. One of the dishes that Bryanna’s family makes every Thanksgiving is homemade cranberry sauce. Bryanna’s favorite memory of thanksgiving is when she and her family members were watching Christmas movies. Bryanna’s favorite thing about thanksgiving is the food she loves all the dishes she and her family makes. We asked Bryanna what makes thanksgiving important to her and she said, “thanksgiving is important to me because as a kid it’s always been a big holiday and everyone always comes over”

Alyssa Gladney, a senior , didn’t have much of a difference to say.  She celebrates Thanksgiving with her family at her grandmother’s house. They celebrate by making new memories with all the cousins and helping their grandmother with setting the dining table & finish prepping the food. Alyssa mentioned her family makes a ton of food to last another week. Some food her family enjoys making is turkey, greens, mashed potatoes, and ham. Her favorite is ham. 

What the holiday Thanksgiving means to her is making new memories with her loved ones because it’s a day when she gets to see most of her family. One of Alyssa’s favorite Thanksgiving memories is in 2017. She saw her family that lives in Seattle that came to visit and everyone was happy and taking lots of pictures. “ A tradition I share with my family is helping my grandma set the dinner table, take pictures with everyone, and of course eat.” 

Even though we couldn’t find a student that didn’t celebrate the holiday we know it’s normal to take the day normally. We also know everyone shares the enjoyment of having a week off from school! Everyone has different foods and traditions they share with their families.