Thanksgiving parades, just like football, turkey and the pumpkin pie, can't be done away with if we are talking Thanksgiving ! Elaborate parades featuring huge floats, musical extravaganza and star-studded entertainment shows on Thanksgiving are regular features of the Thanksgiving holiday and are marked by great pomp and grandeur. It has its origins in the early 20th century and is fashioned to give the festive frenzy a good lift in the hearts of young and old. The Thanksgiving parades are indeed a spectacle for whoever manages to catch sight of one ! Through years now, these street shows and parades of Thanksgiving have become a tradition and are integral to this holiday, held on the fourth Thursday in November.

There's no precise documentation of the origin of the Thanksgiving parades. In all probabilities, Thanksgiving parades had their first observance in the year President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving as an official holiday. In the context of the Union achievements of the 1863 summer, it's no wonder that an officially declared occasion (more importantly declared by the then President) would have befitting celebrations. Hence parades became a part of the day. But while the military band or uniformed men featured in earlier Thanksgiving parades, today's parades of Thanksgiving mainly consist of musical extravaganza and entertainment shows. Another view is that the first parade of Thanksgiving originated in Philadelphia. It's known as Gimbel's Thanksgiving Parade and is considered to be the first parade of Thanksgiving in the nation's history. The famous American store called Gimbel's kicked off the parade under its name to make a mark. Many other brands followed suit and started holding Thanksgiving parades soon after. And these numerous Thanksgiving parades are telecast on television throughout the United States on Thanksgiving.

Wherever the start of Thanksgiving parades, it was just a matter of years that the significance and tradition of holding parades spread from one corner of the nation to another. Parades are integral to the American culture and the nation has spectacular parades for all the major holidays of the year. Mostly Thanksgiving parades have family-oriented themes and project the message of warmth and thankfulness of the holiday. Also kept in mind is the aspect of making the children happy and make all others smile. So colorful cutouts, huge balloons and amusing floats are there in Thanksgiving parades almost always. The sole aim of Thanksgiving parades is to instill the spirit of festivity in the hearts of the spectators. People feel all gingered up to have a wonderfully warm Thanksgiving Day, wishing each other a happy Thanksgiving and cheering for a good harvest. Many families traditionally set aside a time on Thanksgiving to go and watch Thanksgiving parades. All States in the US hold magnificent parades on Thanksgiving and so, there's no dearth of Thanksgiving parades to hit on the fourth Thursday in November, that is, the Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving parades are thus a very significant cultural tradition of America these days and are designed for all races and ethnicities. All the major States and cities of the nation can boast of the best Thanksgiving parades of the entire nation. And if you're in the nation on Thanksgiving, do not pass up the chance to catch the spectacles hitting the streets on this favorite family holiday of the year !

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