Thanksgiving 2022, the significance & the story behind the day
Thanksgiving 2022 celebrations will be accomplished this year on November 24. This festival was majorly restricted to western countries. But slowly, it branches to several other parts of the globe too. Filled with pomp and ceremony, the fun-filled day is equal to even more fantastic than Christmas or Halloween in the hearts of Americans. We all display our culinary skills as they come using traditional turkey, vegetable stuffing, and other treats.
It is also essential to know why this day is celebrated? What is the take behind Thanksgiving?
Story behind thanksgiving
On the 4th Thursday of November, the United States celebrates Thanksgiving yearly. The national holiday honours the pilgrims that had arrived on the Mayflower. And their 1621 harvest feast was known as the first Thanksgiving.
The Plymouth colony was a group of English Puritans. They aimed to escape from the church of England. However, long ago, Europeans arrived, and the area was inhabited by several Native Americans. The Wampanoag people had aged in the area for centuries. However, a few years back, the Mayflower landed in New England. An epidemic of diseases wiped out much of the native population.
When the pilgrims reached cape cod, they were unprepared for the winter. In desperation, the pilgrims robbed corn from native Americans’ storehouses and graves. However, even then, half of the colony died within their first year. Therefore, in March of 1621, a formal agreement was drafted between the native people and the settlers to protect each other from other tribes.
When the pilgrims and the Wampanoag sat down for the first Thanksgiving that year. It was more just a routine English harvest celebration. Nearly 250 years later, President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863 to give thanks and to try to heal the wounds of the civil war.
Why is gratitude important in life?
Research shows that adopting an attitude of gratitude, simply expressing appreciation, and being more thankful can improve our overall well being.
Improve your psychological health
Studies proved that gratitude can increase happiness, reduce depression and strengthen resiliency.
Improve your physical health
Grateful people often experience reduced blood pressure, less chronic pain, increased energy, and even longer lives.
Boost self-esteem
People who purposefully express more gratitude report high self-esteem than those who do not.
Increase empathy
They are more likely to help others- pro-social behaviour is also linked to greater happiness.
Enhance your sleep
People who capture grateful thoughts before bed, sleep better than those who do not.
Why so many positive changes?
Because gratitude kick-starts the production of dopamine and serotonin-like antidepressants and rewires our brains. These feel-good neurotransmitters activate the bliss centre of the brain creating feelings of contentment and happiness. This appears to be self-perpetuating. Research suggests that with regular practice you will train your prefrontal cortex to better appreciate and retain positive experiences and thoughts.
That Attitude of Gratitude
Here are simple ways to cultivate the attitude of gratitude
Celebrate minor accomplishment
Think about what you have rather than dwelling on what you do not have.
Share love
Tell the people in your life something you appreciate about them and tell this to yourself too.
Be more kind
Volunteer to hold a door for a stranger or simply smile more. And you will probably feel better, as kindness and giving are connected to gratitude.
Try meditation
Positive brain changes can occur from mindfulness and regular meditation.
Capture your gratitude
Keep a daily gratitude journal using a hi-tech app or an old-fashioned notebook.
The science is clear about its attitude of gratitude, and so is Thanksgiving. How are you celebrating your Thanksgiving 2022?
