This Thursday/ is Thanksgiving Day. This is the one hundred forty-third official observance/ of the holiday. But the tradition/ is much older. Thanksgiving/ is an autumn harvest festival/ like those/ found in many cultures.

Today/ the holiday/ is a time of family reunions, parades/ and watching football games/ on television. And, oh yes, food. For millions of Americans, Thanksgiving/ is a day/ spent cooking, eating and talking.

Thanksgiving/ is what the social scientists call/ a civil holiday. It is not religious/ but it does have spiritual meaning. For some families, Thanksgiving/ may be the only time of year/ when everyone/ gets together. The government says/ the Sunday/ after Thanksgiving/ is the busiest day of the year/ for long-distance travel/ as people return/ from gatherings.

Thanksgiving/ is also/ when thoughts/ start to turn to other kinds of gifts. The Friday/ after Thanksgiving/ is the traditional start/ of the shopping season/ for Christmas/ and the other winter holidays.

And speaking of traditions, a popular Thanksgiving tradition/ is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade/ in New York City. Employees/ of the huge Macy's department store/ on Herald Square/ organized the first parade/ in nineteen twenty-four. Many of them/ wanted to hold a big parade/ like the ones/ in Old World Europe. So/ they dressed in costumes/ and borrowed some animals/ from the zoo. They also carried small balloons/ that floated just overhead.

A few years later/ came big balloons, the kind/ that the parade/ is famous for. But they burst. The parade planners/ soon learned better ways/ to control the balloons. In nineteen thirty-four, a big Mickey Mouse balloon/ made of rubber/ appeared in the parade/ for the first time. Mickey Mouse/ remains a popular character/ in the parade.

But for three years/ during World War Two, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade/ had to be cancelled. The military/ needed rubber/ for the war effort.

Two and one-half million people/ are expected/ on the streets of Manhattan/ this Thursday/ to watch the parade. Millions more/ will see it/ on television. And, as always, there will be lots of things/ to see, including eight hundred performing clowns.

But all eyes/ will be on the huge balloons/ that will rise almost fifteen meters/ above the streets. Many of the balloons/ are based on popular cartoon/ and game characters. Plans/ call for the balloons/ to be filled with helium gas/ on Wednesday.

Workers/ control the balloons/ with ropes, but that can be difficult. They have to make sure/ that winds/ do not blow the balloons/ into buildings/ or parade-watchers. But accidents/ can happen. There have been two/ in recent years.

Last year, ropes/ from a big balloon/ caught on a streetlight. Two sisters/ were injured/ when pieces of the streetlight/ fell on them/ as they watched the parade.

The accident/ was similar/ to what happened/ in nineteen ninety-seven. The victim/ was a woman/ on the street. She was injured/ so badly/ that she was/ in a coma/ for almost a month. But she survived.

And just last month/ that same woman, Kathleen Caronna, had something else/ to be thankful for. She was not home/ when a small plane/ hit the Manhattan building/ where she lived. Her apartment/ was heavily damaged, and the crash/ killed both people/ on the plane.

After the balloon incident/ last year, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg/ appointed a committee/ to improve the safety/ of the parade. This year, more steps/ will be taken/ to measure the wind/ and to report the information/ to the balloon controllers.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade/ is marking its eightieth anniversary/ this year. The parade/ traditionally includes invited marching bands. But now, in addition, the parade/ will have its own marching band.

Two hundred musicians and dancers/ will take part/ in what is called/ the Macy's Great American Marching Band. The young musicians/ will represent all fifty states/ and the District of Columbia.

Now/ we come to the part of the holiday/ that Thanksgiving memories/ are often made of -- the big Thanksgiving Day meal. Some families/ serve ham. Others/ serve a meatless dinner. But the traditional main dish/ is turkey. Most people/ cook the bird/ in an oven; some/ prepare the turkey/ other ways, like fried/ in oil.

Turkey on Thanksgiving/ is usually served/ with a bread mixture/ inside. Some Americans/ call it/ stuffing; others/ call it/ dressing. Popular side dishes/ on Thanksgiving/ include cranberries, sweet potatoes/ and green beans. Then/ for a rich, sweet dessert/ there is often pumpkin pie/ or pecan pie.

Many Thanksgiving tables/ also are heavy/ with other dishes, often brought by guests. And if the guests eat all/ that is served, they too will feel heavy. Some people/ like fruit soup, green salads/ and baked potatoes/ with their turkey. Others/ like baked squash, creamed onions, creamed spinach/ and corn pudding. Many people/ eat more/ at Thanksgiving/ than any other time/ of the year.

For people/ who do not have much food, or a home/ to go to/ at Thanksgiving, charity groups/ play an important part. To help the needy, religious and service organizations/ across the country/ serve special Thanksgiving meals.

Tradition says/ the Pilgrims/ celebrated the first Thanksgiving/ in sixteen twenty-one. The Pilgrims/ were religious dissidents/ who fled oppression/ in England. First/ they went to the Netherlands, then/ left to establish a colony/ in North America. They ended up/ at what later became known/ as Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Their trip/ across the Atlantic Ocean/ and their first months/ on land/ were difficult. About one hundred Pilgrims/ arrived/ just as autumn/ was turning to winter. About half of them/ died/ during the cold months/ that followed.

As the story/ goes, when spring/ came/ the Pilgrims/ planted crops/ with the help of an American Indian/ named Squanto. By the end of summer/ there was a good harvest/ of corn and barley. There was enough food/ to last through the winter. The Pilgrims/ held a celebration/ of thanks/ for their harvest. A nearby Indian tribe, the Wampanoags, took part/ and the feast/ lasted/ three days.

But modern Indians/ have noted/ that the friendship/ did not last/ for long. Other English settlers/ who arrived later/ did not need help/ from the Indians/ the way/ the Pilgrims/ did. The Indians and the settlers/ were at war/ within a few years. Many of the Wampanoag Indians/ died in battle/ or from diseases/ that arrived/ with the settlers.

Over the years, as the American colonies/ grew, other communities/ held thanksgiving/ or harvest celebrations. Later, different states/ celebrated Thanksgiving/ on different days.

But a nineteenth century writer and editor, Sarah Hale, believed/ that all Americans/ should give thanks/ on the same day. For years/ she campaigned/ for a national holiday. Her wish/ came true/ in October of eighteen sixty-three/ with a declaration/ from President Abraham Lincoln. He invited Americans/ to observe the last Thursday of November/ as a day/ of thanksgiving/ and praise to God.

At the time, it might not have seemed/ that Americans/ had much/ to be thankful for. It was in the middle/ of the Civil War. The great Battle of Gettysburg/ had just taken place/ that summer/ in Pennsylvania. Yet the war/ that divided the nation also, in the end, united it.

And, as the spirit of tradition/ guides millions of people/ to holiday gatherings/ this week, Thanksgiving/ remains that most American/ of days.