Rituals And Symbolism

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Thanksgiving; an Amerian Ritual Rituals have been a part of human life from time immemorial, and most of them are beyond human understanding. A ritual is a common practice done by a particular society or a group of people. Most of these rituals are symbolic, either religious or associated to a certain tradition. These rituals are repeated over times and are mostly held at specific times of the year, during certain period of weather or even after certain occurances such as natural disaster, good harvests, childbirth, weddings or even funerals. Thanksgiving is one of the oldest holidays in the United States. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November of every year; an event that has been marked since 1863. Thanksgiving is a ritual celebrated, to mark an important event in the American history; when the Native Americans helped the pilgrims of Plymoth survive their first brutal winter in New England. A turkey is significantly used as a symbol to celebrate this important event in history. President Abraham Lincolin proclaimed a National holiday for thanksgiving to be celebrated as a federal and a popular holiday in the United States. The proclamation has been repeated by many other presidents after Lincolin. This event is marked by all citizens of the United States and it is a day that family members take a day off from their busy schedules to come together and celebrate this important day. National leaders also take this opprtunity to come together with their constituents as a show of unity and togetherness. Even with the importance attached to this ritual, my observation is that its symbolic importance has been watered down and reduced to just another day that people get a day off from their normally busy schedules. The spirit of giving and sharing is no longer practiced as it used to before. With the changing cultures and ways of living, hard economic

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