Thanksgiving holiday

Thanksgiving Holiday If one takes a look at Thanksgiving from the perspective which was developed by Bellah, one will be able to see that it might be regarded as a part of American civil religion. The researcher in question suggests that the nature of the latter is ambiguous: it is not based on any religious doctrine, yet has a similar effect on the people.
Therefore, Bellah would note that Thanksgiving does not convey any specific religious message, but it provides a common ground for the people of different backgrounds. In other words, the event that is being celebrated is certainly secular, but it surely has a religious aspect to it.
The celebration of Thanksgiving is closely connected to various rituals. For example, there is always a big football game that people all over the country watch. For them the Super Bowl is an inseparable part of the holiday, though it was added many centuries after. Secondly, people tend to prepare a specific food for this holiday, which also makes it a part of the ritual.
Finally, the significance of Thanksgiving might be analyzed through the prism of the concept of sacred space. Indeed, the times when the first colonists were weak and relied on the assistance of the Indians are perceived as sacred. That is why commemoration of them creates appropriate space for the people to interact.
As one can clearly see, Thanksgiving fits in the idea of American civic religion as it serves a particular function: it unites people who come from different classes, cultural background and religious confessions.
References
Bellah, R. (2015). Civil Religion in America. Retrieved April 28, 2015, from http://web. archive. org/web/20050306124338/http://www. robertbellah. com/articles_5. htm