Balão flutua sobre multidão em parada pelo Dia de Ação de Graças em Nova York, nos Estados Unidos, em 2016: antes da pandemia, data era comemorada com celebrações nas ruas das cidades americanas (Timothy A. Clary/AFP/AFP)
Leo Branco
Publicado em 26 de novembro de 2020 às 09h48.
Nesta quinta-feira, 26 de novembro, é celebrado o Thanksgiving Day, ou Dia de Ação de Graças, nos Estados Unidos e alguns outros países de cultura anglo-saxônica. Este é um dos feriados mais tradicionais, e boa parte dos americanos celebra a data junto com a família e amigos.
A origem do feriado se deu em um jantar entre os colonizadores europeus e indígenas nativos americanos, celebrando e agradecendo pela colheita e fartura do ano.
Nos Estados Unidos, o feriado foi instituído em 1863 pelo então presidente Abraham Lincoln e desde então é celebrado com algumas tradições características deste dia.
Faça os exercícios abaixo para aprender mais sobre as tradições do Thanksgiving Day!
Exercício 1
Match the definitions below and try to put the words in the correct places in the text
(Combine as definições abaixo e tente colocar as palavras nos lugares corretos do texto)
1. Shelters | ( ) a platform mounted on a truck and carrying a display in a procession |
2. Brittle | ( ) sleep lightly or briefly, especially during the day |
3. Gravy | ( ) a place giving temporary protection from bad weather or danger |
4. Floats | ( ) a sauce made from cooked meat juices together with stock and other ingredients |
5. Naps | ( ) hard but liable to break easily |
6. Flavors | ( ) the person or people who |
7. Whoever | ( ) a type of large vegetable with a hard skin and a lot of seeds at its centre |
8. Squash | ( ) the distinctive taste of a food or drink |
Exercício 2
TRAVEL
Most years, one of the best things about Thanksgiving is spending time with family. Many people live far from family members and travel long distances by car, train, or plane to be with their loved ones. Thanksgiving is often one of the busiest travel days of the year!
THE TURKEY PARDON
Each year at Thanksgiving, the president of the United States receives a gift of two live turkeys. At a White House ceremony, the president traditionally "pardons" the National Thanksgiving Turkeys so they can live on a farm.
THE FEAST
Traditional foods are a large part of Thanksgiving celebrations. Many families include the entire family in the food preparation. Traditional foods include turkey, stuffing, (1) _____, sweet potatoes, cornbread, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. Many people serve pie for dessert at the end of the meal. Popular pie (2) _____ are pumpkin, pecan, sweet potato, and apple.
Some families choose to serve vegetarian Thanksgiving dinners instead of a stuffed turkey. They might eat vegetarian turkey, which can be made out of tofu. Others eat (3) _____, salads, or other fruit and vegetable dishes.
THE WISHBONE
Some families include breaking the turkey's wishbone as part of their celebration. The wishbone is found attached to the breast meat in the turkey's chest. After the meat has been removed and the wishbone has had a chance to become dry and (4) _____, two people each take one end of the bone, make a wish, and pull. (5) _____ ends up with the larger part of the bone gets their wish!
PARADE
Many families watch the New York City Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which includes marching bands, (6) _____, songs and performances from Broadway musicals, and giant helium-filled balloons! People like to watch football games—maybe your family likes to play one outside!
HELPING OTHERS
Thanksgiving is a great time to help out people who might not be as lucky as you. Some people volunteer to serve food at homeless (7) _____; others donate to (7) _____ or participate in canned food drives.
AFTER THE MEAL
The food is eaten, the dishes are washed ... now it's time to relax. Some families take bike rides, go on walks, or take (8) _____. Others play board or card games together.
Respostas
Exercício 1
Ordem correta das respostas: 4 - 5 - 1 - 3 - 2 - 7 - 8 - 6
Exercício 2
Michel Rosas é formado em Publicidade e Propaganda pela Universidade de São Paulo, é coordenador de marketing e comunicação na Companhia de Idiomas e professor de inglês há 13 anos. É especialista em estratégias de engajamento e nutrição pela Northwestern University e estratégias de marketing de conteúdo pela Universidade da Califórnia, assim como vários cursos de análise estratégica e utilização de ferramentas de marketing digital. Também é colunista de inglês na Exame.com.