Enjoy Millennium Harbourview Hotel Xiamen's 17th Annual Thanksgiving Grand Buffet

Online, November 20, 2009 (Newswire.com) - Usher in the holiday season with thankfulness and good cheer as you feast on traditional Thanksgiving favorites-everything from roasted tom turkey with the signature stuffing to cranberry sauce, homemade breads, and mouthwatering pumpkin pie.

English pilgrims and Native Americans held the first Thanksgiving celebration at Plymouth Plantation in 1691. Over the years, it became an annual American tradition for giving thanks to God for his blessings, and in 1941, Theodore Roosevelt signed the bill making Thanksgiving an official American holiday.

Though Thanksgiving originated in the U.S. and is still most widely celebrated there, it has become increasingly popular worldwide. Canadians have celebrated it as avidly as Americans since the Canadian Parliament made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1957. In 1973, Asian and European leaders hosted "Is Thanksgiving Universal?" - a series of international seminars to explore the importance and meaning of thanksgiving. In 1997, the U.N. made the year 2000 the "International year of Thanksgiving". But the annual celebration made its debut in Xiamen eight years earlier in 1992, when the Millennium Harbourview Hotel Xiamen brought together the international community for Xiamen's first Thanksgiving dinner, and to introduce their home customs to Xiamen locals.

Today, American Thanksgiving is about parades, football, and traveling home for the big family dinner, with pumpkin pies, breads, cranberries, and of course, turkey. Turkey is such a part of Thanksgiving that many call it "Turkey Day", though we are not certain if the first pilgrims even had turkey, much less the other "traditional" favorites. We do know that pumpkin pies, breads, and cranberries could not have been on their menu. But happily for us in Xiamen, the Millennium Harbourview Hotel Xiamen's annual Thanksgiving celebration serves all of our traditional favorites as we gather for good food, good cheer, and giving of thanks.

Compared with 1992, Xiamen today has much to be thankful for, including booming economic growth, a significantly higher standard of living, and a rich and diversified culture. If you are in Xiamen, join our warm community at the Millennium Harbourview's 17th Annual Thanksgiving celebration. And as we come together to feast on the Millennium's bountiful buffet, let us join in giving thanks for the gift that we have in Xiamen.

By: Shannon Brown