1.Like those festivals in many cultures, what kind of festival is Thanksgiving? ... festival.
2.What does Thanksgiving mean to millions of Americans? A day spent ...,... and talking.
3.Which year can Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade trace back to? ...
Thanksgiving is an autumn harvest festival like those found in many cultures. Today the holiday is a time of family reunions, parades and watching football games on television, and of course food. For millions of Americans, Thanksgiving is a day spent cooking, eating and talking. Thanksgiving is what the social scientists call a civil holiday. It is not religious but it does have spiritual meaning. For some families, Thanksgiving may be the only time of year when everyone gets together. The government says the Sunday after Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the year for long-distance travel as people return from gatherings. Thanksgiving is also a time when thoughts start to turn to other kinds of gifts. The Friday after Thanksgiving is the traditional start of the shopping season for Christmas and the other winter holidays. And speaking of traditions, a popular Thanksgiving tradition is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Employees of the huge Macy’s department store on Herald Square organized the first parade in 1924. Many of them wanted to hold a big parade like the ones in Old World Europe. So they dressed in costumes and borrowed some animals from the zoo. They also carried small balloons that floated just overhead. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is marking its eightieth anniversary this year. The parade traditionally includes invited marching bands. But now, in addition, the parade will have its own marching band. Two hundred musicians and dancers will take part in what is called the Macy’s Great American Marching Band. The young musicians will represent all fifty states and the District of Columbia.
