Posted on 4th Aug, 2023 by Heena Ganotra , Updated 1 year ago
The large family get-together celebration for which people wait all year long, aside from Christmas and New Year, is Thanksgiving! Autumn is the best holiday season for people with a big appetite, as it brings yummilicious cranberry sauce, turkey, and pumpkin pie, topping the list of autumnal foods. Here, we will walk you through everything about Thanksgiving along with Thanksgiving travel tips. Scroll below and gobble gobble as the turkey says!
“Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life… a true folk-festival that speaks of the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year — and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God.”
Ray Stannard Baker
Thanksgiving is an annual national holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada. In the US it is celebrated every year on the Fourth Thursday of November. Whereas in Canada, it is observed on the second Monday of October.
Canadians will celebrate the harvest and the blessings of the year on October 9, 2023. While in America, Thanksgiving 2023 will be celebrated on 23rd November. US Thanksgiving 2023 will fall on November 28.
There are many stories behind the history of Thanksgiving Day. The origins of Thanksgiving date back to the 1500s and were mythologized in October 1621. One of the widely known tales goes on that, popularly known as the ‘First Thanksgiving’ was a shared autumn harvest feast by the Plymouth settlers and Wampanoag Native Americans in the New World in October 1961. The Plymouth settlers, also known as Pilgrims, celebrated with a feast that lasted for three days and thanked God for the first harvest.
To this day, Thanksgiving dinner is the most prominent part of the Thanksgiving celebration. With the beginning of the Fall, Americans regard Thanksgiving as the onset of the holiday season.
Besides gathering for the traditional Thanksgiving feast with friends and family and being grateful for breaking bread with them, there are a few Thanksgiving traditions that make this holiday even more exciting.
The wishbone is the Y-shaped bone carved out of the turkey’s carcass and dried after the Thanksgiving meal. Two people then make their secret wishes and break the bone. According to superstitions, the person who gets a bigger piece is said to have their wishes come true. It is one of the family Thanksgiving traditions which people cherish.
The US-based departmental store chain Macy’s presents the world’s largest annual Thanksgiving parade in New York. The parade started in 1924 and still follows a 2.5-mile route through Manhattan. Earlier the parade included animals like elephants from the Central Zoo. Nowadays the animals are swapped with other props which makes the parade interesting. It is one of the most awaited Thanksgiving events widely enjoyed by people.
Millions of people gather on the streets of New York City to see the performers, floats, and helium balloons march making it a classic Thanksgiving tradition. The parade ends with the Santa Claus theme, which marks the commencement of Christmas and all things christmasy! Many people watch the parade over the television in the morning while the turkey is roasting in the oven.
Another fascinating Thanksgiving ritual people look forward to is the famous Turkey Trot. It is America’s one of the largest road race, which attracts walkers and runners. It started in 1896 and has become a fun way to burn the calories consumed during the Thanksgiving feast and raise money for a cause. Even a century later, Turkey Trot is a nationwide phenomenon. Many charitable organizations have started running for a cause that further motivates people to participate and give back to the community.
The Thanksgiving meal is followed by the gratitude speech. The Thanksgiving speech expresses the significance of things and people in their lives. Friends also gather to enjoy the company before going to their families and call it ‘Friendsgiving’. It is a new tradition and is widely gaining popularity.
One of the favorite sports of Americans is football. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to watch the favorite football teams compete with each other in the company of family and friends. Few families also host annual football games and cherish the togetherness.
We shine the spotlight on all the things that we are blessed with at Thanksgiving. Many organizations conduct free food drives for those in need to spread the spirit of giving thanks and helping the communities. Many people volunteer their time in delivering meals to the elderly or specially-abled people. People take Thanksgiving as an opportunity to make a difference in families in need.
Some of the biggest shopping sales across several stores start with Thanksgiving. In the United States, Black Friday is a term given to the Friday following Thanksgiving Day. On this day, stores open early, sometimes even at midnight, and people wait in long queues to get their favorite articles at a heavily discounted price. Customers’ heads are filled with promises of scoring the best deal on the latest gadgets through various advertisements on televisions and billboards. People wait all year for Black Friday sales and shop till they drop!
Thanksgiving insists we ponder upon all the travel experiences as it allows us to see ourselves, other people, and the world in a different light. One quote that perfectly sums up the thankfulness towards traveling is – “Grateful for the places I’ve been and the faces I’ve seen.”
Since Thanksgiving involves traveling, we have curated a few Thanksgiving flight booking strategies. Using these Thanksgiving travel tips, you can catch cheap Thanksgiving flights and enjoy this most awaited holiday season of the year at your happy place with your loved ones.
Thanksgiving is the busiest travel season. The ticket prices begin to rise from September, especially in the third week. Another price hike due to the Thanksgiving season is in October fourth week. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after Thanksgiving are the most popular days to fly and usually the most expensive ones.
To avoid spending a fortune on airfare, consider taking red-eye flights as fewer people travel during the odd times. At times, late-night or early-morning flights on Thanksgiving day are available at affordable prices.
Another trick to score a budget-friendly Thanksgiving flight deal is checking the alternate airports to reach the destination. This tip can help you save a few bugs but do check the availability of transportation and commuting time so that you do not miss the cherishable moments with your loved ones.
Set alerts on airline websites and various social media platforms so that you do not miss any airline deals. The Frequent flyers must use their reward points to reduce air ticket prices. MyIndiaFlight offers cheap Thanksgiving flights with exclusive promo codes! Thanksgiving travel tips are very useful to book inexpensive flights for the holiday season.
Ans: Stores that are open on Thanksgiving 2023 are Whole Foods, Dollar General, Wegmans, Kroger, Food Lion, Big Lots, Safeway, CVS, Five Below, Rite Aid, Walgreens. Grocery stores, pharmacies and discount stores are open on Thanksgiving.
Ans: In 2023, Canadian Thanksgiving falls on October 9. It is celebrated every year on the Second Monday of October.
Ans: Stores which will be closed on Thanksgiving 2022 are Walmart, Kohl’s, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Costco, BJ’s Wholesale, Sam’s Club. Home improvement stores, warehouse club stores and big box retailers will be closed on Thanksgiving 2022.
Ans: Traditionally, we celebrate Thanksgiving to thank God for the harvest. This day people take an opportunity to express gratitude to loved ones and be thankful to God for all the blessings.
Thanksgiving holiday is the quintessential time to spend with family and friends. MyIndiaFlight is all set to help you with exclusive Black Friday flight deals and Thanksgiving flight deals this holiday season. Whether business class, first, or economy class, the Thanksgiving travel tips can prove to be very beneficial for your USA to India flights or otherwise. After all, jetting off on a getaway to your family or traveling with the family for the festive season is an amazing way to express some gratitude.
Some of the popular deals that can be combined with Thanksgiving flight deals are as follows –
A writer by both passion and profession, Heena Ganotra is "half agony, half hope" but all heart. And oh, she has been a book lover from the start! Her love for books is what convinced her to make a career in the wonderful world of words. She loves what she does and is out-and-out a satisfied soul with a wish to spread happiness like herpes. Insight- Some say she is living the best life anyone could because she reads, writes, travels, and makes merry. They’re right because what else does one really need! :)
With the aim to help passengers have hassle-free flight journeys, our blog section covers extensive details about travel restrictions in India & Australia along with the newly introduced airlines, routes, airport terminals, and more.
Discuss this post ?