If a being from another planet crash landed in the United States on the fourth Thursday of November they would notice almost every household was eating a similar meal, not working and watching a very strange game on television. Using a language translator, the alien might ask you, "What's this all about?" That would be your chance to describe in detail the foundational elements of this day we call Thanksgiving. But what are the foundational elements of the day we call Thanksgiving? No longer a day simply for faith, Thanksgiving in the United States has garnered a much more secular and broad meaning.



It's about food

While almost every family adds its own regional flair to the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, be it salsa in Texas or clam chowder in Boston, the meal pretty much stays the same. Thanksgiving is the time to sit down with turkey, corn, stuffing, cranberries (although no one seems to know how that sneaked into this dinner) and pumpkin pie. We are taught in school the first Thanksgiving was a meal of thanks between pilgrims and Native Americans. Although it is unlikely, we are told this is what they ate. It doesn't matter that it's historically inaccurate because food has a place in our mind in memory far beyond the nitpicking of a few college professors. This is the meal our parents, grandparents, and their parents ate on Thanksgiving and it's the meal that we will be eating too. Participating in this feast of fowl and fun brings us a sense of cultural identity which is a large part of this holiday in the first place.

It's about family

The days before and after Thanksgiving are some of the top travel holidays of the year. People drive, fly, and pray to be together with loved ones to share this meal and celebrate the things that they are thankful for. It is not the act of being around the dinner table that is important; it is the actual gathering across miles and generations to share stories, affirmations, and hope. An altruistic holiday, where the focus of being together isn't to receive presents or celebrate achievements but simply to give thanks for the people in our lives, Thanksgiving is a family builder like no other.

It's about football

Of course, with every long standing tradition come some unusual entries. Into this country's celebration is football with annual games featuring the Dallas Cowboys and the Detroit Lions. This masculine ritual of sitting down after a hearty meal and watching the teams battle for yardage and ball possession is as much a part of the fun and fellowship of the tradition as praying and eating.

The fourth F in thanksgiving is faith. Because America is a country diverse in its religious aspects, that F does not unify us the way the other three do. However, every one who pauses to give thanks to someone in some way for the food, family, and football they have enjoyed is participating in this rite of joy.