Give Thanks to Giving

Thanksgiving, is a time of being thankful, grateful, and generous, whether it’s with the food or with love.

November 22, 2023

Thanksgiving, is a time of being thankful, grateful, and generous, whether it’s with the food or with love. With that holiday tradition starting in November of 1621, the tradition of Thanksgiving has lasted 402 years. Many spend the day with their families, many watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, whatever you do, be thankful, that’s the point of the holiday.

The first Thanksgiving was in 1621, with the Pilgrims, who celebrated the holiday after their first harvest. The First Thanksgiving lasted three days and consisted of 90 Native American Wompanag peoples and 53 survivors of the Mayflower. Although it is not proven, it is believed that those who participated in the first Thanksgiving, ate turkey, venison, seafood, and their harvested vegetables. Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday on October 3, 1863.

According to Serious Eats, some dishes that are commonly found on the Thanksgiving table are turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and many others.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade tradition started in 1924, this is the 97th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. During the first parade, many dressed as cowboys, clowns knights, and sheikhs (an Arab leader), there were floats, professional bands, and 25 live animals from the Central Park Zoo. This year, you can expect floats, Broadway show snip-bits, current famous music artists, the Rockettes and so much more! This year, according to Women’s Wear Daily, there is a total of 8,000 volunteers, there will be 16 character balloons (7 new characters), 33 heritage and novelty balloons, 26 floats, 5,000 costumes, 2,000 gallons of paint, 300 pounds of glitter, and, 200 pounds of confetti. The parade will start at 8:30 which is half an hour earlier than usual, you can watch the parade on NBC New York, local channels, and YouTube, or you could go see it in person.

So this Thanksgiving season, spend time with your family, friends, and everyone else. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving from The Stinger Newspaper Staff!

Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/live/F5CFktG4qcw?si=mRSgPcbbBtnmNtYB

Sources:

WorldStrides.com

FamilySearch.org

Baruch College

Forbes.com

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About the Contributor

Molly Spence, Assistant Editor

"Remember there is good in this world, and bad, and ugly." -Unknown Welcome to The Stinger! My name is Molly Spence, I am a class of 2026 sophomore student and the assistant editor for The Stinger. I am involved in the Newspaper, Marion Center Marching Band as part of the color guard, Athena Club, United Way, and Plumville Belles as a majorette and assistant coach. When I'm not here at school, I am with my ducks. I have two ducks that mean the world to me. I love ducks, they're an important part of my life. This is my second year in Newspaper, and second year as assistant editor. I have been in ATHENA for two years and am currently one of the secretaries for the club. By being a part of The Stinger, I want to make everyone's voice heard and leave no one behind, because after all, we, Marion Center high school students, are all in this together.