Thanksgiving began in the autumn of 1621, when British immigrants who had crossed the ocean on the Mayflower came to America. To thank God for the bountiful harvest, they held a three-day celebration. From then on, this custom continued and gradually became popular throughout the country. In 1863, President Lincoln officially declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. At that time, families gathered together, and the whole country celebrated with great enthusiasm, comparable to the Chinese Spring Festival. On Thanksgiving Day, the United States is always very lively. Parades, theatrical performances, and sports competitions are held everywhere in cities and towns. Schools and stores also take a day off. Children often dress up in strange costumes, imitating the appearance of the original Native Americans, singing and blowing trumpets in the streets. On that day, there are also more people in churches, as people usually do an感恩 prayer here according to tradition. Americans have been accustomed to living independently since childhood, scattering far and wide. However, on Thanksgiving Day, they always try to return from all corners of the world, sitting together around the table, eating delicious turkey and talking about past events. This makes people feel particularly close and warm. People away from home are invited as guests. Food is also sent to those in need. Some local agencies, schools, and churches collect food first and then distribute it in baskets to the poor. Some shop owners even give turkeys to their employees and some old customers.
　　It is worth mentioning that the food on Thanksgiving has a rich traditional flavor. Every Thanksgiving, Americans must have tender turkeys to eat. Turkey is the traditional main course of Thanksgiving. It was originally a wild bird native to North America, later bred in large numbers by people, becoming a delicious poultry, each weighing up to forty or fifty pounds. Now, some places still have farms where people can go hunting for wild turkeys before Thanksgiving. Those with interest can pay some money to shoot a few turkeys at the farm, making the festival more interesting. The way to cook turkey also has certain requirements. It needs to be roasted whole, with the skin turned deep brown, and the inside is stuffed with many mixed foods, such as crumbled bread. When served, the male host uses a knife to cut thin slices for everyone. Then each person can pour gravy and sprinkle salt, resulting in a very delicious taste.
　　Besides turkey, the food on Thanksgiving also includes cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, corn, pumpkin pie, homemade bread, and various vegetables and fruits. These are all traditional Thanksgiving foods.
　　There is also an old game called corn game. It is said that this game originated from the time when there was a lack of food, and each immigrant was given five ears of corn. During the game, people hide five ears of corn in the house, and everyone searches for them. The five people who find the corn participate in a competition, while others watch. When the competition starts, the five people quickly remove the corn kernels into a bowl, and whoever finishes first wins. Then, the people who did not participate in the competition guess how many corn kernels are in the bowl. The one whose guess is closest gets a big bag of popped corn as a prize.
　　On the traditional Thanksgiving dinner table, roasted turkey is indispensable. In some big restaurants, you can buy a正宗 method roasted turkey for 300-400 yuan, which also includes traditional side dishes like slightly sweet cabbage, mashed potatoes, dough, and pickled apples. If it's not a big family meal, you can buy half a turkey or follow the popular practice to choose pre-prepared turkey slices, which are filled with food slices made from a mix of bread, milk, eggs, and chestnuts. The wonderful taste is hard to describe, only by experiencing it yourself can you truly feel it. Besides enjoying the delicious turkey in a restaurant, we can also have a culinary DIY at home, cooking a delicious and tasty Thanksgiving turkey by ourselves.