Across the pond in the United States yesterday, Thanksgiving Day was celebrated. A chance for Americans to give thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year.
Prayers of thanks and special thanksgiving ceremonies are common among almost all religions after harvests and at other times.The Thanksgiving holiday's history in North America is rooted in English traditions dating from the Protestant Reformation. It also has aspects of a harvest festival, even though the harvest in New England occurs well before the late-November date on which the modern Thanksgiving holiday is celebrated.
On a more modern note, we hear of people giving thanks for what they have in their lives. It seems such a shame and an irony that we then read in the press of the events of Black Friday, taking place today. The name seems very apt as there's a dark side to this American tradition, which has now crept into UK high streets. "Black Friday" is a commercial invention referring to the post celebration sales in which American stores offer massive reductions on goods. This comes just in time for the Christmas shopping period therefore can lead to some rather zealous behaviour! We read of spending frenzies, unmanageable crowds, chaos, injuries and even deaths as a result of this obsession with having more and more material possessions.
It seems such a shame that one day we can be counting our blessings for what we have then the next day going to any lengths to get our hands on the that reduced price flat screen TV or mobile phone...you get the idea! A celebration of giving thanks for what we've been blessed with has been turned into an exercise of getting more!
Sometimes we forget what we're celebrating and the actual celebrations become our focus.
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