Thanksgiving officially marks the beginning of the holiday season and this American holiday is also celebrated in Germany, Brazil, Canada, Japan and other countries.

Thanksgiving falls on the second Monday of October in Canada while it is marked as a national holiday on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. This year Americans are all set to give thanks and celebrate Thanksgiving with their families on November 24.

This American holiday has many legends and rituals attached to its name. Thanksgiving is deeply rooted in the history of America and its religion and cultural traditions.

Americans believe that their thanksgiving is modelled after the 1621 harvest feast shared by the English colonists of Plymouth, Massachusetts, later known as the Pilgrims and the Native American Wampanoag people.

This was acknowledged as the first Thanksgiving and for the following two centuries many individual colonies and states celebrated this festival on various days.

Thanksgiving is celebrated to say thanks and recognise the sacrifices and blessings of the past year. Later, with more urbanisation,

The holiday moved away from its religious roots to allow immigrants of every background to participate in a common tradition.

Thanksgiving became a day for people to get together with their friends and family to celebrate the day with a scrumptious feast. They also decorate their homes to get right into the festive spirit.