To quote a very wise man: There is no agenda, there is no quiz, there is no raffle. Meet, chat, drink, be happy! Food is available and hopefully parking as well. Well behaved Geohounds are welcome.
In the United States, "Thanksgiving Day" is one of the major holidays. It occurs on the 4th Thursday of November.. which normally is the last Thursday. Our event is traditionally on the last Thursday.. so we are a week late (as this month has five Thursdays), but the theme will be American Thanksgiving anyway. Dressing as either a Pilgrim or Native American is optional.
The origins of Thanksgiving Day in the USA is that of a harvest celebration. We remember a specific celebration held in Plymouth, Massachusetts, known as the First Thanksgiving.. As children, we are taught this story. Note my copy of the story says "Indian", today "Native American" is preferable.
On March 16, 1621, an Indian brave walked into the Plymouth settlement. The Pilgrims were surprised to hear him say “Welcome” in English! His name was Samoset and he had learned English from ship captains who explored along the east coast. Samoset soon returned with another Indian named Squanto, who also spoke English and became a good friend. Squanto showed the Pilgrims which plants were poisonous and which had medicinal powers. He taught them how to grow corn, how to use fish as fertilizer, and how to tap the maple trees for sap.
The Pilgrims had a successful first harvest and they had enough food to put away for the coming winter. A Pilgrim leader, Edward Winslow, recorded: “Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors.” The Pilgrims had much to celebrate. They had built a settlement, they had raised crops, and they were at peace with the native people. Pilgrim Governor William Bradford announced that they would have a harvest feast, and the Pilgrims invited their Indian neighbors to join them. Chief Massasoit came with ninety of his braves. The Indians showed off their skills with the bow and arrow, and the Pilgrims demonstrated their musket skills. They also played games, ran races, marched, and played drums. Exactly when the festival took place is uncertain, but it is believed to have taken place in midOctober, and it lasted for three days.
Thanksgiving in the United States was observed on various dates throughout history. From the time of the Founding Fathers until the time of Lincoln, the date Thanksgiving was observed varied from state to state. The last Thursday in November had become the customary date in most U.S. states by the beginning of the 19th century. Modern Thanksgiving was first officially called for in all states in 1863 by a presidential proclamation of Abraham Lincoln. Influenced by the campaigning of author Sarah Josepha Hale, who wrote letters to politicians for around 40 years trying to make it an official holiday, Lincoln proclaimed the date to be the fourth Thursday in November in an attempt to foster a sense of American unity between the Northern and Southern states.
Modern celebration of Thanksgiving Day is centered around a feast with family and friends. Roast Turkey is the traditional main course, recent survey showed nearly 88 percent of Americans eat turkey at Thanksgiving. I've seen another survey suggesting 13% of Americans are either vegetarian or vegan. Other traditional Thanksgiving food include: cranberry sauce, stuffing, winter squash, green beans, and pies for dessert. Most common is pumpkin pie, though apple pie, mincemeat pie, sweet potato pie, and pecan pie are often served as well. It is also a big day for parades, the most famous being the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
Whilst the day after Thanksgiving is not a public holiday, many companies make this a day off work for their staff. This is what lead to the emergence of "Black Friday". Thanksgiving Day was over, and most people had the day off. It was now less than a month until Christmas, so they went shopping. When I was a child the Friday was known as being the busiest shopping day of the year, but more recently the concept of people queuing for "Black Friday" sales emerged.
As I have a Thanksgiving themed (sort of) cache coming up to it's first birthday which doesn't get found much I'm advertising it here Alice's Restaurant
Note: The Bath Christmas Market runs from Thursday 23rd November – Sunday 10th December 2017. Bath is busier during that time (and frankly is busy right up until Christmas). But the Christmas Market is in the city centre and this event is not, so it should not cause a problem, though I would suggest to avoid the city centre (unless you want to visit the market of course).