[00:00.00]The American holiday of Thanksgiving is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday in November.
[00:10.72]The holiday is during autumn -- the main season for harvesting crops.
[00:19.55]Thanksgiving is an autumn harvest festival like those found in many cultures around the world.
[00:29.42]On this day, most Americans gather with friends and family.
[00:35.82]Many take time to think about what they are thankful for, cook up a storm, and eat.
[00:44.14]A lot.
[00:46.70]The star of most Thanksgiving dinners is a roasted turkey.
[00:53.53]Turkeys are large birds native to North America.
[00:58.44]The turkey is cooked in an oven for many hours, often with a mix of celery, bread, onions and spices inside the bird.
[01:13.40]This mix becomes stuffing -- another star of the Thanksgiving dinner table.
[01:21.63]Anna Matteo here at Learning English says the smell of turkey and stuffing roasting together is the quintessential smell of Thanksgiving.
[01:35.15]"Quintessential" means the perfect example of something.
[01:40.59]After the bird is cooked, the stuffing is taken out and served as a side dish.
[01:48.28]One of many side dishes. Families often make other foods like mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and vegetable casseroles.
[02:03.76]A casserole is a dish that cooks slowly in an oven.
[02:09.10]And do not forget about the gravy.
[02:13.43]This rich sauce is made from the fatty liquid that comes off the turkey as it cooks.
[02:21.98]People cover their turkey meat, stuffing and mashed potatoes with gravy.
[02:29.74]The meal does not end with the turkey, stuffing, and side dishes, though.
[02:36.71]For some people, the best part of the meal is dessert.
[02:42.20]The quintessential Thanksgiving dessert is pie. Pumpkin, cherry, apple or pecan pie are all great ways to finish off a Thanksgiving meal...if you are not too full of food by that point!
[03:02.45]Some Americans must travel long distances to be with their families.
[03:09.74]In fact, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day of the entire year.
[03:18.78]This is usually when people return home from family gatherings.
[03:25.43]Not everyone can make the return home each Thanksgiving.
[03:32.22]So, young people living in cities away from their hometowns sometimes celebrate "Friendsgiving" -- a Thanksgiving meal with their friends instead of their family.
[03:47.18]They gather at someone's apartment or house and have a "potluck."
[03:54.43]This is a meal where everyone who is invited brings food to share with others.
[04:02.52]Thanksgiving is a big day for television, games and other entertainment.
[04:10.75]One tradition is the television broadcast of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
[04:18.97]It takes place each year in New York City.
[04:23.89]Workers of the Macy's store on Herald Square organized the first parade in 1924.
[04:32.58]Many of the workers were immigrants and wanted to hold a big parade like the ones in Europe.
[04:41.65]So, they dressed in costumes and borrowed some animals from the zoo.
[04:48.38]They also carried small balloons that floated just overhead.
[04:54.08]Many professional American football games are also played on Thanksgiving.
[05:01.37]Fans of the sport enjoy relaxing and watching a game or two after eating a big Thanksgiving meal.
[05:10.45]Some start Thanksgiving Day early - and in a healthy way.
[05:17.30]So-called "Turkey Trot" races take place in many towns and cities.
[05:24.94]These events involve runners dressing up in a Thanksgiving-related costume and running a short distance -- usually five kilometers.
[05:36.51]Many Turkey Trots urge runners to bring canned food to donate to local food banks -- non-profit organizations that give food to poor people in a community.
[05:54.57]Certainly, not everyone in America has an easy Thanksgiving.
[06:01.97]The United States is home to many poor and homeless people.
[06:07.26]Some cannot afford a Thanksgiving dinner.
[06:11.19]Others are without friends or families.
[06:15.42]Many religious and service organizations around the country try to fill these needs.
[06:24.04]Some provide community dinners at churches and other centers.
[06:30.11]Some groups also deliver Thanksgiving meals to people too sick or old to leave their homes.
[06:39.38]The writer O. Henry called Thanksgiving the one holiday that is purely American.
[06:48.76]It is not linked to a religion or a certain group.
[06:54.19]Anyone in the United States on the fourth Thursday of November is welcome to celebrate Thanksgiving.
[07:04.06]I'm Caty Weaver.
[07:05.99]And I'm Ashley Thompson.
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Words in This Story
festival - n. a special time or event when people gather to celebrate something
up a storm - idiom. used to say that something is being done with a lot of energy or enthusiasm
roasted - adj. cooked with dry heat in an oven or over a fire
stuffing - n. a seasoned mixture of food that is put inside another food and cooked
potluck - n. a meal to which everyone who is invited brings food to share
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