U.S. citizens Thursday are celebrating their annual Thanksgiving holiday -- a centuries-old harvest time tradition.For the day of feasting that usually kicks off the winter holiday season -- and triggers one of the busiest travel weeks of the year -- Americans take to the air, railways and roads to visit family and friends. The AAA ((eds: Triple A)) automobile and travel organization predicts that 42.5 million Americans will travel at least 80 kilometers from home in the coming days, 4 percent more than a year ago. Most of them are traveling by car.
The Thanksgiving Day meal usually includes turkey or ham, vegetables, and pies made of fall-harvest fillings such as apple or pumpkin. The National Turkey Federation estimates that, overall, Americans consumed more than 46 million turkeys at Thanksgiving last year. After the feast, some people engage in recreational activities such as watching or playing sports -- although, after such a heavy meal, a Thanksgiving Day nap is also a well-established custom. Some Americans spend at least part of the day doing charity work, such as helping serve a Thanksgiving meal at a homeless shelter.