Searcy, AR (LP) — Just imagine having a week off from school, no more school work stressing you and getting to eat as much food as you want. Luckily this is a reality. The Searcy School District has allowed to give a whole week off unlike the typical 2-3 days for Thanksgiving Break. Almost everyone is excited to get the entire week off and get to see their families. With the Fall season covering the southern region with orange leaves and cold winds, families are going to unite together over a turkey. This is a common tradition for the majority of the American people however every family has their own tradition. How could anyone be different from traditional? The origin of Thanksgiving was dated on November of 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The pilgrims of Plymouth were suffering from harsh winter traditions a native from the Paxuet tribe (native of the Wampanoag) helped the pilgrims and showed them how to plant corn and fish. Using the limited resources, they celebrated for three days with food and games.
In other countries their tradition is a lot different from the United States. Like Germany for instance. Germany has a holiday called Erntedankfest which translates to “Harvest Thanks Celebration” according to Liam Wessel. He is a foreign exchange student who is enjoying his time in America. “The holiday is celebrated on the first of October,” Liam said. In his culture, thanksgiving isn’t about giving thanks or having a reason for the food. He also mentioned, “In Germany, Sundays are always holiday where grocery shops, clothing stores and etc.” This year would be his first year of a American Thanksgiving. For Liam it’s weird since his culture does not celebrate the holiday but he embraces it. “I got up at 11 a.m and headed out to our grandmas house then we started cooking fried chicken, green beans, and mashed potatoes. Around 1:30 the food was ready and we started eating.”
Not every American person can imagine not celebrating Thanksgiving. Some families in the U.S. cannot have the luxury of eating turkey and having a shelter. Fortunately, the holiday opens the hearts of those that need help. That’s the name Thanks-for-giving. It’s tradition to lists the things and people that you are grateful for. Camilla Paggi says, “First of all, I am thankful for being here and for the two families that I have that are making me live probably the best experience of my life. I am thankful for the amazing people that I met here.” In Italy she says her family celebrates it with a lot of food and watching the parade all together. Since she is a foreign exchange student she got to experience the American tradition. She says, “I went to my host grandma’s house and there was my family, some of our friends, the family of our uncle and of course my grandparents.” She mentions some funny moments in her experience that includes her host mom and my grandma cooked all the food and my host mum ‘samples’ the food all the time.” She has truly enjoyed herself. She says, “In the end I am thankful for the first and probably the last thanksgiving of my life!” This opportunity of traveling to a whole another country is something we can only dream of as your typical Searcy High student. Liam and Camilla have both enjoyed Thanksgiving with their host families. Thanksgiving has more value than just eating food. It reminds them to be grateful for all the experiences and opportunities that they get.
