Posted on 11/24/2005 3:51:29 PM PST by snugs
President Bush and first lady Laura Bush are spending Thanksgiving at their Crawford Ranch along with other memebrs of their family and of course the dogs.
The President spoke to the troops via telephone wishing them a Happy Thanksgiving
WHAT IS THANKSGIVING
The Thanksgiving Story
Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island
QUOTE OF THE DAY
November 19, 2005
Thanksgiving Day, 2005
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America
Thanksgiving Day is a time to remember our many blessings and to celebrate the opportunities that freedom affords. Explorers and settlers arriving in this land often gave thanks for the extraordinary plenty they found. And today, we remain grateful to live in a country of liberty and abundance. We give thanks for the love of family and friends, and we ask God to continue to watch over America.
This Thanksgiving, we pray and express thanks for the men and women who work to keep America safe and secure. Members of our Armed Forces, State and local law enforcement, and first responders embody our Nation's highest ideals of courage and devotion to duty. Our country is grateful for their service and for the support and sacrifice of their families. We ask God's special blessings on those who have lost loved ones in the line of duty.
We also remember those affected by the destruction of natural disasters. Their tremendous determination to recover their lives exemplifies the American spirit, and we are grateful for those across our Nation who answered the cries of their neighbors in need and provided them with food, shelter, and a helping hand. We ask for continued strength and perseverance as we work to rebuild these communities and return hope to our citizens.
We give thanks to live in a country where freedom reigns, justice prevails, and hope prospers. We recognize that America is a better place when we answer the universal call to love a neighbor and help those in need. May God bless and guide the United States of America as we move forward.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 24, 2005, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all Americans to gather together in their homes and places of worship with family, friends, and loved ones to reinforce the ties that bind us and give thanks for the freedoms and many blessings we enjoy.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirtieth.
GEORGE W. BUSH
PHOTOS OF THE DAY
President George W. Bush calls troops from his ranch in Crawford, Texas, Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2005.
I am sure the President would have loved to be with the Troops today.
Hope all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. How did the duck turn out?
President George W. Bush calls troops from his ranch in Crawford, Texas, on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2005
Good evening, snugs!
The duck was beautiful it just fell off the bone
For thousands of years, people have set aside a day to celebrate the autumn harvest, giving thanks for a plentiful growing season. Ancient Hebrews held a special eight-day feast to celebrate their harvest season. And, people in ancient Greece dedicated a nine-day harvest festival to Demeter, the goddess of agriculture. Similarly, pre-Christian Europeans marked a good harvest with a large feast before crops were gathered and stored for the winter.
Celebrations surrounding the autumn harvest have continued throughout history, and many modern cultures have set aside a specific day to give thanks. The date and customs may vary from country to country, but the desire to take time and reflect on life's blessings remains the same.
In the United States, this day of thanks is called Thanksgiving. It is a national holiday observed on the fourth Thursday of November. On this day, family and friends get together for a feast to celebrate their good fortune, relax and enjoy one another's company. It is also the unofficial beginning of the winter holiday season.
When most people imagine "the first Thanksgiving," they think of the Pilgrims sharing a hearty banquet with local Native Americans. While it is true that the American colonists invited the Native Americans to celebrate their first harvest in the New World, the event did not spark the Thanksgiving tradition that we know today. In fact, the occasion was not called "Thanksgiving" and the Pilgrims did not even celebrate it the following year. What we think of as "the first Thanksgiving" was actually quite different from our modern celebration.
The initial "Thanksgiving" feast, held in 1621, was really a traditional English harvest celebration. The Pilgrims shared it with the Native Americans because they had taught the colonists to plants crops and hunt wild game. Without the Native Americans, the Pilgrims may not have survived the harsh winter and been able to celebrate their first harvest of plentiful crops in the New World.
At the harvest feast, modern Thanksgiving staples such as pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, corn and mashed potatoes were not served. Since historical evidence shows wild fowl was part of the harvest festival, it is possible that turkey was part of the Pilgrims' meal. However, an exact record of the menu did not survive over time. Historians believe that seafood and wild game were the main dishes at the autumn celebration since the colonists lived near the Atlantic Ocean as well as the forest. Seasonal vegetables such as squash may have been part of the harvest feast, however, vegetable dishes did not play an important role in people's diet like they do today. Sweet desserts also did not accompany the meal due to a dwindling, or nonexistent, supply of sugar. And, without ovens, it was impossible for the Pilgrims to make breads, pies or cakes.
The colonists' first harvest feast lasted for three days. Food was served all at once, instead of in courses, so people ate whatever they pleased in the order that they desired. The more important members at the feast were given the best pieces of meat, while the rest of the diners ate whatever was closest to them. Since the Pilgrims didn't use forks or plates, they ate their meal straight off the table with spoons, knives or their fingers. They used large napkins to wipe their hands and also wrapped it around food when it was too hot to hold.
Even though we think of the harvest festival as "the first Thanksgiving," the colonists did not use a name for their autumn celebration. The occasion was not called "Thanksgiving" because the word had a completely different meaning to the Pilgrims. To them, a day of "thanksgiving" was actually a religious holiday set aside for giving thanks to God. As a result, the Pilgrims would never have given such a religious name to a secular day marked by feasting, dancing, singing, and playing games. Instead their harvest celebration was simply identified by the season and the activities involved. It wasn't until the nineteenth century that the feast we know today acquired the name "Thanksgiving."
Since the autumn harvest usually occurred sometime between late September and the middle of October, the colonists' harvest festival wasn't celebrated in November, like it is today. For hundreds of years, people simply celebrated the harvest whenever nature was ready. In 1863, President Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day. However, since he did not establish it as a national holiday each state had the right to decide when it would celebrate Thanksgiving. It wasn't until 1941 that Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Thanksgiving Around the World
Thanksgiving in Canada is much the same as it is in the United States; however, it is observed on a different day - the second Monday in October. In other parts of the world, different cultures also celebrate festivals of thanksgiving. Although they are quite different than the American holiday, they all revolve around giving thanks for life?s blessings and the celebration of the autumn harvest.
In Great Britain, Harvest festival is observed in late September or October. Special services of thanksgiving are held at local churches to honor the day. Decorations include autumn flowers, fruits, vegetables and other food.
Jewish people around the globe celebrate Sukkot, a festival of thanksgiving that lasts nine days. For this occasion, a Jewish family will build a booth called sukka. It is then decorated with leaves, branches, and fruits or vegetables from the new harvest. Tables are set up inside the sukka, so meals can be eaten inside. The sukka is also a place to pray.
The Festival of the Autumn Moon, or Zhong Qui, is the Chinese celebration of thanksgiving. It is held on the eighth month of the Chinese calendar. The Moon Goddess is honored with mooncakes, and children parade with colored lanterns in the evening.
In southern India, people in Kerala hold the harvest festival of Onam. Samaritans deliver food to those in need and homes are decorated with flowers. The celebration continues late into the night with spectacular displays of fireworks.
A Lithuanian thanksgiving tradition involves the creation of a boba (meaning old woman) from the last sheaf of grain at harvest time. The grain is fashioned into a doll shape and decorated with ribbons and flowers. Keeping the boba until spring is believed to keep the spirit of the crop alive until replanting begins the following year.
I hope you both had a good Thanksgiving Day
I am so ready for Sanity Island today after all the overstuffing that has taken place in America! LOL!
President Roosevelt Carving Thanksgiving Turkey. Warm Springs, Georgia- The big thrill of the Thanksgiving dinner at the Warm Springs Foundation for Infantile Paralysis sufferers came when President Roosevelt took up the tools and began to dismember the turkey. Here's the scene with Mrs. Roosevelt and Robert Rosenberg, of New York, flanking the distinguished carver. November 25, 1938
Photograph of President Truman receiving a Thanksgiving turkey from members of the Poultry and Egg National Board and other representatives of the turkey industry,outside the White House.
11/29/53-Augusta, Georgia: President Eisenhower and his family enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at the president's vacation retreat at the Augusta, Georgia National Golf Course. L to R: Mrs. Mamie Eisenhower, holding granddaughter Susan; the President; Major John Eisenhower; young David Eisenhower and Mrs. John Eisenhower, holding her daughter Barbara.
President Eisenhower (left) seems highly pleased with the 43-pound Kentucky Colonel turkey from the blue-grass state, presented to him at the White House by Peary Browning (right) of Winchester, Kentucky, president of the National Turkey Federation. The Thanksgiving bird was selected from a flock of 100,000 at Browning's farm. November 17, 1954
Richard Nixon with Turkey as Gift Original caption: Washington, D. C.: Howdy, Mr. Gobbler---President Eisenhower's thanksgiving turkey, presented annually by the Turkey industry, is received by Vice President Richard Nixon at a capitol ceremony. Looking on from left as Mr. Nixon accepts the 40-pound bird on behalf of the Chief Executive are: Stanley Marsden, Beltsville, Md.; Charles W. Wampler, Harrisonburg, Va.; Leslie S. Hubbard, Lancaster, PA., and Chester Housh, Elton, VA., President of the National Turkey Foundation. November 14, 1955
Woohoo.....new jeans pictures! Can't get better than this! Hubba!!!!
I feel pretty full after my duck dinner myself LOL. I passed on sweet but dad had apple pie and ice cream.
under 20 is good enough for me!
Good evening, snugs, and a Happy Thanksgiving to you and your mum and dad.
President Johnson was presented with this 40-pound broad-breasted white Tom Thanksgiving turkey at the White House November 16. Senator Everett M. Dirksen, Republican--Illinois, made the presentation for the National Turkey Federation. November 16, 1967
Photograph of President Nixon receiving a Thanksgiving turkey from members during the annual pardoning ceremony.
President Nixon Giving Annual Pardon to Thanksgiving Turkey November 19, 1969
President Nixon Grimacing at Thanksgiving Turkey November 24, 1970
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President Ford, 1975. Courtesy Gerald R. Ford Library.
Now that is what I call macabre
I thought you would like those LOL
Well done without my posts you are in the top ten
Thank you hope you had a good one
I passed on the sweet at dinnertime, but we went out, and I brought a slice of pecan pie home and just had half of that as a snack. I'll finish off my leftover dinner and the rest of the pie later this evening. It was altogether a wonderful day!
Thanks for the dose, Snugs! I'll bet your duck was scrumptious! It can't help but remind me of "The Christmas Story" and the Chinese duck, though! LOL!
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