Thanksgiving: how to celebrate it with friends?

In America, everything is ready to celebrate Thanksgiving Day! This year, the fateful date is Thursday 28 November. On this day, families gather around a table set with all kinds of food and a huge turkey in the centre, as we know it from thousands of films and TV series. From the time of the Pilgrim Fathers to special episodes of Friends, from the 1950s to Generation Z, this holiday has crossed state lines, evolved and taken on different forms that fluctuate between tradition and new rituals. There are those who prefer to volunteer, those who enjoy sharing a meal with loved ones, those who celebrate by giving thanks for the good things they've received throughout the year, and those who throw themselves into a themed film marathon while waiting for midnight to strike so they can start their Christmas shopping with Black Friday discounts. And how will you be celebrating?

G-Club reveals a few things you might not know about Thanksgiving and how to spend it with your friends.

When is Thanksgiving celebrated?

In the USA, where the holiday is almost more important and heartfelt than Christmas, Thanksgiving is celebrated every fourth Thursday in November, while in Canada it takes place on the second Monday in October. As previously mentioned, in 2024 American families will gather on Thursday 28 November to compete for the wishbone, the collarbone of the turkey that is transformed into a magical wishbone for the occasion. Two people hold it in their hands, each with one side, and have to break it. The person holding the larger piece gets their wish granted.

The origins of the festival (according to tradition)

The first dates back to 1621. Legend has it that the Pilgrim Fathers, who fled England due to religious persecution and arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on the Mayflower ship, decided to thank the Wampanoags for the first good harvest by sharing a meal with them. This was done with the help of the Native Americans, who told them which products were suitable for cultivation and which animals were hardy enough to withstand the harsh climate on the American coast, such as the cultivation of corn and the rearing of turkeys. The first documented harvest festival took place in 1623. The harvest was so plentiful that the governor of Plymouth Colony asked all families to give thanks for the food they had received.

Thanksgiving from the perspective of the Native Americans

For Native Americans, Thanksgiving is not associated with lavish meals and celebrations, but a day of mourning because it commemorates the slaughter of millions of Native Americans and other historical atrocities such as the theft of their land and the eradication of Native American cultures. The first National Day of Mourning dates back to 1970, when Wampanoag Wamsutta leader Frank James established it after he was not invited to speak at a dinner celebrating the 350th anniversary of the Pilgrims' landing at Plymouth Rock. Since then, every fourth Thursday in November has been a time of remembrance and spiritual connection where members of indigenous communities can reflect on their heritage and educate the masses about how their ancestors were massacred by foreigners who arrived in the United States in the 1600s, protest racism and oppression, but also celebrate their resilience and talk about current issues facing Native Americans.

Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving?

From Millennials to Generation Z, more and more people are choosing to spend the fourth Thursday in November with friends instead of visiting relatives. This custom is so widespread that the appropriate term Friendsgiving was coined, which was officially added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in January 2020. According to the dictionary, the connection between the words "friends" and "Thanksgiving" dates back to a tweet from 2007, but some people credit the sitcom Friends with inspiring the concept of spending the holidays with friends. According to sociologists and experts, the origin and popularity of this holiday can be attributed to the delay in finding your soul mate or having children, the expansion of the traditional idea of family to include all the people who matter most to us, and the fact that many people have moved to a big city for work reasons and don't have the opportunity to return to their family of origin due to economic or career issues. Therefore, a more informal gathering of friends is becoming increasingly popular. The plus side? There's always a lot of talk about how family gatherings can be harmful for some people; Friendsgiving is helping to redefine ideas of what the holidays should be like. When is it celebrated? In November, some people opt for the weekend before Thanksgiving, while others choose the classic fourth Thursday of that month.

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving with friends?

You don't have to be in the USA to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. Inspired by what we've seen on the big and small screen, we can add a few traditional activities and adapt them to our needs to spend a few hours with our loved ones. Here are some ideas of what you can do to experience the spirit of Thanksgiving among friends.

Pack a traditional lunch

Let's face it, most holidays revolve around food. So why not treat your friends to a classic Thanksgiving meal? Traditions range from a big feast of stuffed turkey, mashed potatoes with cranberry sauce, green beans and pumpkin pie to a modern twist with cornbread, green beans, butternut asparagus and pan-roasted mushrooms, pumpkin pie or pecan pie. Cooking turkey can be a real challenge. In the US, there's even a Turkey Talk line open from November to December where leading experts on cooking the bird answer all sorts of questions to avoid epic fails, but for everyone else, there are thousands of guides to come to the rescue. The secret to turkey is to prepare it the day before by massaging the meat with salt, pepper and spices to taste. For vegetarians, there's tofurkey, a kind of tofu pie stuffed with vegetables. Stove-avoiders can resort to restaurants and takeaways or opt for other dishes that are simpler and closer to their taste. The whole thing is more fun if you prepare it together with friends, chatting and perhaps drinking a good wine.

Thank your friends and the universe

It's a typical scene from American films, but it can also be a wonderful way of making friends feel special, celebrating happy moments and attracting some good luck to bring more of the same. Let's sit in a circle and take it in turns to tell the person by our side why we are grateful to them, or tell others about the best thing that happened to us in the year that is coming to an end. A nice idea would be to write on a piece of paper why we want to be grateful in the new year. Burn the paper and let the smoke and ashes spread into the universe as a kind of manifestation that draws good fortune and goodness to us or those we love.

Have a Thanksgiving-themed film and series marathon

An alternative and relaxing way to spend the holiday can be a sleepover with friends where we watch Thanksgiving movies and series, eat delicious food, chat and wait until midnight to get the best deals during Black Friday, which for many shops starts at midnight on 28 November.