Americans in New York at Times Square joyfully celebrate the New Year
Thanksgiving, which falls on the fourth Thursday of November, officially opens the holiday season. It is a day of reunions with distant relatives, shared meals featuring traditional American dishes, and a time to rest from hard work. Each year, millions of Americans travel thousands of miles to meet with family and friends over a table with roast turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie.
Across the country, fans gather at home after dinner and watch television broadcasts of American football games held on Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is also a day when thousands of Americans volunteer to help the needy. From young to old, from professional athletes to schoolchildren, regardless of social status, on Thanksgiving Americans help the poor. Gratefully acknowledging the good fortune in their lives, from one coast to the other, many Americans, including President Obama and his family, cook and serve traditional Thanksgiving dishes at community centers and churches. Others donate money to charitable organizations that distribute food to the hungry, or participate in fund-raising marathons for local 'food banks.'
Like Thanksgiving, the approach of Christmas, celebrated on December 25, prompts many Americans, even non-believers, to help those in need. Each year during the winter holidays, Americans donate millions of dollars to these causes and spend a total of millions of hours volunteering to help the disadvantaged.
For Christians, the holiday marks the day when Jesus was born about two thousand years ago, and in the United States, as in other countries, believers attend church services. Most Americans, including non-Christians, exchange gifts, such as homemade cookies and other treats. In many US cities, Christmas carolers walk through residential neighborhoods or gather in squares, singing traditional songs and spreading cheer.
Each December, the President of the United States lights the National Christmas Tree in Washington during a public ceremony. In December, the White House is decorated with wreaths of evergreen branches, and several Christmas trees are set up, each decorated with handmade ornaments by craftspeople from all regions of the US.
The White House opens its doors to Americans from all walks of life who wish to tour the specially decorated rooms open to the public. Those who cannot travel to Washington can view them via webcam.
As is well known, Americans include adherents of many faiths, and the winter holiday season reflects this diversity.
The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, which falls between late November and late December (dates vary from year to year according to the Hebrew calendar), is celebrated in commemoration of the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in the second century BCE. Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is celebrated for eight days and nights, and American Jews, like Jews in other countries, light the menorah, a nine-branched candelabrum.
Hanukkah festivities include playing dreidel (a gambling game using a four-sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter on each side), eating foods such as doughnuts and latkes, and – as with Christian Christmas – exchanging gifts.
The Hanukkah menorah is lit each year at the White House as well – a tradition introduced in 1993 by President Bill Clinton. In 2001, President George W. Bush began hosting annual Hanukkah parties at the White House, and this tradition continues.
Each year since 1966, millions of African Americans return to their African cultural and historical roots by celebrating Kwanzaa from December 26 to January 1. Family, community, and culture are at the heart of Kwanzaa. It is celebrated by decorating homes with African-inspired art, African kente cloth, and fruits symbolizing Africa. Ceremonies include drumming performances, musical presentations, and a candle-lighting ritual, culminating in a feast known as karamu.
Today, many African American families celebrate both Kwanzaa and Christmas, sharing the view that the two holidays are quite compatible and complementary.
The US winter holiday season concludes with the celebration of the New Year, and although New Year's Day is January 1, the festivities begin the evening before. For Americans, as for millions of people worldwide, the New Year is a time of beginnings, hopes for a better future, and promises of self-improvement. On New Year's Eve, Americans host parties, attend concerts, fireworks, and other events. Celebrations vary from place to place, and each region has its own version of well-known customs.
According to a tradition dating back to 1907, the famous New Year's Eve countdown is held at Times Square in New York. Thousands of people gather in the square to watch the crystal ball descend from the sky at the appointed hour. Millions of Americans across the country watch the television broadcast from Times Square.
Residents of Easton, Maryland, replace the crystal ball with a crab in their ceremony, thus honoring the state's seafood-rich coast. In Mount Olive, North Carolina, townspeople gather to watch a giant glowing pickle descend from the sky, and in Tempe, Arizona, a huge tortilla chip. In Plymouth, Wisconsin, whose economy is based on dairy products, a giant piece of cheese descends.
In some American cities, New Year is celebrated with parades and American football matches, and in most places, a child born on the first day of the new year is given gifts and is reported by all media.
Moreover, the celebration of the New Year abounds with rituals and superstitions brought to the United States by many immigrant groups. For example, in the southern states, it is believed that eating asparagus beans on this day brings good luck. The origins of this tradition are in Asia and Africa. Fresh and sauerkraut as a symbol of prosperity and longevity are the Eastern European contribution to the New Year's dinner.
Immigrants of various nationalities believed that loud noise drives away the evil spirits of the outgoing year and prevents them from entering the new one. The louder the better, and therefore American New Year celebrations are accompanied by unimaginable noise of fireworks, whistles, and rattles.