Thanksgiving: what's it all about?

It celebrates America’s heritage, but some traditions are less than appetising, says Dave Kenny

THANKSGIVING. It’s that day of the year when Americans leave their shopping malls and stuff their faces full of turkey. It’s Christmas without the trees, or, in Ireland’s case, the mindless violence and projectile vomiting.

In 1863, after the North’s victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November a national day of thanksgiving.