“Thanksgivings” is a day of prayer and thanking God for His various blessings. In some countries, people express gratitude for their military victory or the end of a drought. Others celebrate the arrival of their rich harvests. The U.S.  Congress proclaimed a national holiday upon the enactment of the country’s Constitution. Later, the date was left to the states. The observation first got the approval and support of President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, during the Civil War.

In many places, it began as a  religious day. However, gradually the holiday moved away from its religious roots to allow natives and immigrants of different backgrounds to participate in a common tradition. Thanksgiving Day food includes mainly pumpkin pie, cranberries, and turkey. People play football and other games,  and the day is associated with parades of costumed revelers with huge balloons.  It has now come to symbolize intercultural peace in most of North America and also in Australia. Many people, including Natives in Canada and America, however, believe the celebrations mask the true history of oppression underlying their relationship with European settlers. We should give recognition and the highest respect to the First Nation and other ignored segments of society.

Sacred Hymns (enshrined in Sri Guru Granth Sahib) enjoins all to thank God on every day of life. Sikhs, in particular, say the following prayer before meals,  as gratitude.

God gives everything to the whole world. He supports us continuously and there is no shortage. Why forget from the mind such a Great Giver, who gave us sustenance even in the fire of the (mother’s) womb ?