Thanksgiving is one of the most prominent holidays, as it brings families and friends together to acknowledge one another. The holiday originated in 1621 when the Wampanoags and the Pilgrims praised the first successful harvest in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Since then, Thanksgiving has become a national holiday distinguished among various families, who commemorate it with different traditions. It is a day to give thanks and recognize what we have and the people around us. Traditionally, many families toast the holiday with a huge dinner and invite friends and family. Many families have also created their own traditions to enjoy the day differently than others.

Charlotte Ferruggia ‘28 explains how her family celebrates Thanksgiving: “All of my cousins and family members come over to my house and then we all eat traditional food like turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes.” Although Ferruggia comments on the traditional aspects that her family rejoices during the holiday, she also clarifies how they have their traditions: “It’s kind of weird, but we also open Christmas crackers on Thanksgiving.” 

There are many different aspects of the holiday that make it enjoyable for everyone. For her favorite custom, Charlotte shares that, “[I like] watching the Macy’s Day Parade with my family.” Charlotte also goes on to note her favorite Thanksgiving memory. “I was an Irish dancer for a while, and on Thanksgiving, there was a giant competition in New York. So we got to see the [Macy’s Day] Parade live, which was really cool.”

Thanksgiving dinners include a variety of different plates and meals. Charlotte has a favorite Thanksgiving dish and says. “Mashed potatoes are probably my favorite dish at Thanksgiving dinner, they’re so good and a classic recipe.”

Thanksgiving is a widely remarkable holiday, in which many people take the day to spend time with their families and make a memorable day out of it. Charlotte notes, “Thanksgiving is a fun way to see all my family members, we always have a great time, and I love seeing them all at once because it makes the holiday more memorable.”.   

Kya Patel ‘28 who loves celebrating the holiday with her relatives, discloses why the day is special to her. “I think that the best part of Thanksgiving is really just the time that people get to spend with their family and friends and just appreciate one another and share the love.”

Another way people spend the Thanksgiving weekend is by having a huge Thanksgiving dinner with their friends, which is called “Friendsgiving”. The gathering holds the same fundamentals that a traditional Thanksgiving dinner would have, instead of giving gratitude towards family, one would express them to their friends.

Kya celebrates Friendsgiving with her friends and states. “I love Friendsgiving because it allows me to appreciate and feel the love and warmth that all my friendships provide me with.” She goes on to say. “I would say that [it’s my favorite tradition] because it’s a big environment of people who just truly love and appreciate you.”

Thanksgiving can have different meanings to each individual, however, the core values of the holiday and its traditions are the same, cherishing the important people in our lives. The traditions stemming from the holiday are other ways to make new memories with family and friends, as well as doing something different than the standard way of celebrating the holiday.