Thanksgiving Day in the United States is a holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. It precedes Black Friday. Traditionally, it is a day for families and friends to get together for a special meal. The meal often includes a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, pumpkin pie, and vegetables. Thanksgiving Day is a time for many people to give thanks for what they have. The day parades are held in some cities and towns on or around Thanksgiving Day. Some parades or festivities also mark the opening of the Christmas shopping season. Some people have a four-day weekend so it is a popular time for trips and to visit family and friends. Public transit systems do not usually operate on their regular timetables.  Most government offices, businesses, schools and other organisations are closed on Thanksgiving Day. Many offices and businesses allow staff to have a four-day weekend so these offices are supposed to be closed but businesses, instead of closing, make a big cash-in on the day. Friday after Thanksgiving Day is normally referred to as "Bad Friday”. It is one of the busiest periods for travel in the USA. This can cause congestion and overcrowding.  Most shops cut prices up to 50% from the normal prices.Historically, Thanksgiving Day has been an annual holiday in the United States since 1863. Not everyone sees Thanksgiving Day as a cause for celebration. Each year since 1970, a group of native Americans and their supporters staged a protest for a National Day of Mourning at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day.  American Indian Heritage Day is also observed at this time of the year. There are claims that the first Thanksgiving Day was held in the city of El Paso, Texas in 1598. Another early event was held in 1619 in the Virginia Colony.Many people trace the origins of the modern Thanksgiving Day to the harvest celebration that the Pilgrims held in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. However, their first true thanksgiving was in 1623, when they gave thanks for rain that ended a drought.These early thanksgivings took theform of a special church service, rather than a feast. In the second half of the 1600s, thanksgivings after the harvest became more common and started to become annual events. However, it was celebrated on different days in different communities and in some places there were more than one thanksgiving each year. George Washington, the first president of the United States, proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day in 1789.The Thanks Giving Day is a curtain-raiser for the Christmas season.  As is evident, most places have begun slashing prices as they prepare for the Christmas season as well as the end of the year annual festivities. Companies are busy struggling to outdo each other in their quest to increase their sales. Sales on Black Friday alone hit a high mark of US$58 billion.  There are all sorts of sales here and there. The Monday after was Cyber Sales and all the sales online were also discounted! Amerika is indeed an interesting place!