In most countries, people usually eat traditional food on special holidays. A special day in the United States is Thanksgiving. It is always on the fourth Thursday in November, but in Canada it falls on the second Monday in October. And it is a time to give thanks for food in the autumn and other good things people enjoy in life. At this time, people also remember the first travelers from England who came to live in America about 400 years ago. These travelers had a long, hard winter, and many of them died. In the next autumn, they gave thanks for life and food in their new home. These days, most families see Thanksgiving as a time to get together and usually celebrate it with a big family meal. The main dish of this meal is almost always turkey, a large bird. To go with the turkey, people often prepare other things, such as gravy, cornbread, mashed potatoes and pumpkin or apple pie.

Sweetest Day is always the third Saturday in October. This holiday is much more important in some regions than in others (Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo being the biggest Sweetest Day cities). It is a holiday that is more and more popular throughout the country. Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October as a day to make someone happy. It is a moment which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick and the aged, and children without parents, but also friends, relatives and those whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed.

Over 60 years ago, a Cleveland man, Herbert Birch Kingston, believing that the city’s orphans (孤儿) and patients too often felt forgotten and neglected, thought up the idea of showing them that they were remembered. He did this by giving out small gifts. With the help of his friends and neighbors, he gave out these small gifts on a Saturday in October. During the years that followed, other Clevelanders began to take part in the celebration, which came to be called “Sweetest Day”. In time, the Sweetest Day idea of spreading cheer to the weak was broadened to include everyone, and became a moment for remembering others with a kind act or small gifts—cards, candy, flowers and so on. And soon the idea spread to other cities all over the country.

Sweetest Day is not based on any single group’s religious feelings or on a family relationship. It is a reminder that a thoughtful word or deed enriches (丰富) life and gives it meaning. Because for many people remembering takes the form of gift-giving, Sweetest Day offers us the opportunity to show others that we care in a practical way.

Surprisingly, the dates and ways of the celebration of Father’s Day are not the same everywhere.

Father’s Day is celebrated to thank fathers and express gratitude (感激) for their love. In Canada, it is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. People wear roses to express thanks and love for their fathers. This is also a time for a family reunion (团聚) , because children often stay away from their family and this is a good time for them to get together with their fathers and other loved ones. But in Australia, it is celebrated on the first Sunday in September. The day is celebrated only in families. A rich breakfast for family is a good way to celebrate Father’s Day. In Thailand, Father’s Day falls on December 5 every year. All the people have a one-day holiday. You can see many people are in yellow and the streets are decorated in yellow because Father’s Day is also the King’s birthday.

Some clubs, schools and cultural societies in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Australia, South Africa organize Father’s Day parties to provide people a chance to celebrate the day to show the importance of father’s role in the family and the society.