Friendsgiving (meal)

Last updated

Friendsgiving is a Thanksgiving-themed feast meal typically eaten prior to or instead of a family Thanksgiving dinner in the United States. [1] [2] Those gathering are typically a group of close friends, often millennials, [1] although participation has broadened.

Contents

The meal began as an alternative to the traditional family Thanksgiving gathering for people who could not or did not want to go home for the holiday. It has since developed into an additional celebration on a separate day during the Thanksgiving season. [1] [2] [3] [4]

History

While the concept isn't new, prior to the early 2000s there was no term for it. [1] [5] According to Merriam-Webster, the first use was in 2007 and referred to an informal meal. [2] [3] In 2011 a liqueur advertisement with a Friendsgiving theme appeared [6] and the concept was a plot point on an episode of a popular reality television show. [2] [7] Popular outlets report that Temple University graduates Sabrina Guillaume and Kiasha Huling alongside college friend, Dawn Carter first introduced “Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner” in Philadelphia. This was the origin and premise of early Friendsgivings. Serving a potluck medley of traditional and non traditional holiday fare, the three friends share this annual occasion starting in 2003 and lasting over a decade. Early Friendsgiving meals were often gatherings of friends as an alternative to a family Thanksgiving for those for whom traveling home for the traditional meal was logistically or emotionally difficult. [2] [6] The evolution of the concept into an additional (rather than alternative) meal came later, according to Merriam-Webster. [2]

By 2013 the Emily Post Institute started receiving etiquette questions about the meal. [1] According to The Atlantic , the term wasn't frequently searched on Google prior to 2012, but by 2013 was being searched regularly and from then, searches on the term increased "exponentially" in following years. [1] The growth in popularity is attributed to several social elements, including the chosen family, the coining of the portmanteau and the evolution of Thanksgiving in the United States from a single-day event into a Thanksgiving season. [1] [3] The Washington Post called it a "curated" holiday. [7]

Description

The meal itself is often produced potluck-style, with each participant bringing items. [1] [6] Those celebrated on Thanksgiving Day generally replicate a Thanksgiving dinner, while those that are additional gatherings may or may not, depending on the situation. [6] In 2022 Joe and Jill Biden celebrated with a traditional turkey dinner several days before Thanksgiving at a Marine base. [8] Some people use Friendsgiving to test out new Thanksgiving recipes. [3]

Participants are generally close friends who live in the same area; when produced on Thanksgiving Day the meal is most common in cities with many transplants for whom traveling home for the holiday is logistically or emotionally difficult. [2] [3] [5] The meal is also often celebrated among groups of coworkers as a potluck holiday party. [1]

In 2020 Nicol Paone wrote and directed the comedy-drama Friendsgiving for Saban Films. [9] [3]

Analysis

Journalist Malcolm Harris argues that Friendsgiving "is a propaganda weapon used by the ruling class to further their plans for wage stagnation." [1] Reason Magazine called it "cultural flourishing, not cultural decay". [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Party</span> Gathering of invited guests

A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature food and beverages, and often conversation, music, dancing, or other forms of entertainment.

Brunch is a meal, sometimes accompanied by alcoholic drinks, taken sometime in the late morning or early afternoon – the universally accepted time is 10am-1pm. The meal originated in the British hunt breakfast. The word brunch is a portmanteau of breakfast and lunch. The word originated in England in the late 19th century, and became popular in the United States in the 1930s.

Dinner usually refers to what is in many Western cultures the biggest and most formal meal of the day. Historically, the largest meal used to be eaten around midday, and called dinner. Especially among the elite, it gradually migrated to later in the day over the 16th to 19th centuries. The word has different meanings depending on culture, and may mean a meal of any size eaten at any time of day. In particular, it is still sometimes used for a meal at noon or in the early afternoon on special occasions, such as a Christmas dinner. In hot climates, the main meal is more likely to be eaten in the evening, after the temperature has fallen.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to meals:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eid al-Fitr</span> Islamic holiday at the end of Ramadan, first day of Shawwal

Eid al-Fitr is the earlier of the two official holidays celebrated within Islam. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims worldwide because it marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan. Eid al-Fitr falls on the first day of Shawwal in the Islamic calendar; this does not always fall on the same Gregorian day, as the start of any lunar Hijri month varies based on when the new moon is sighted by local religious authorities. The holiday is known under various other names in different languages and countries around the world. The day is also called Lesser Eid, or simply Eid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christmas Eve</span> Evening or entire day before Christmas Day

Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation of Christmas Day. Together, both days are considered one of the most culturally significant celebrations in Christendom and Western society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Year's Eve</span> Last day of the Gregorian calendar year

In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, 31 December. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinking, and watching or lighting fireworks. Some Christians attend a watchnight service. The celebrations generally go on past midnight into New Year's Day, 1 January.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Festivus</span> Secular holiday celebrated December 23

Festivus is a secular holiday celebrated on December 23 as an alternative to the perceived pressures and commercialism of the Christmas season. Originally created by author Daniel O'Keefe, Festivus entered popular culture after it was made the focus of the 1997 Seinfeld episode "The Strike", which O'Keefe's son, Dan O'Keefe, co-wrote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Observance of Christmas by country</span> Overview of Christmas traditions

The observance of Christmas around the world varies by country. The day of Christmas, and in some cases the day before and the day after, are recognized by many national governments and cultures worldwide, including in areas where Christianity is a minority religion. In some non-Christian areas, periods of former colonial rule introduced the celebration ; in others, Christian minorities or foreign cultural influences have led populations to observe the holiday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iftar</span> Fast-breaking Islamic meal on Ramadan

Iftar is the fast-breaking evening meal of Muslims in Ramadan at the time of adhan of the Maghrib prayer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thanksgiving dinner</span> Centerpiece of Thanksgiving in the US

The centerpiece of contemporary Thanksgiving in the United States is Thanksgiving dinner, a large meal generally centered on a large roasted turkey. Thanksgiving could be considered the largest eating event in the United States as measured by retail sales of food and beverages and by estimates of individual food intake. People often consume as much as three or four thousand calories during the course of the dinner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christmas in Norway</span> Overview of the role and celebration of Christmas in Norway

Jul or jol is the term used for the Christmas holiday season in Scandinavia and parts of Scotland. Originally, jul was the name of a month in the old Germanic calendar. The concept of jul as a period of time rather than a specific event prevailed in Scandinavia; in modern times, jul is a period of time stretching from the fourth Sunday before Christmas Eve, December 24, to (traditionally) mid-January at the date of Epiphany with the month of December and Christmas, and the week up to the New Year, as its highlight. The modern English yule and yuletide are cognates with this term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christmas dinner</span> Meal traditionally eaten at Christmas

Christmas dinner is a meal traditionally eaten at Christmas. This meal can take place any time from the evening of Christmas Eve to the evening of Christmas Day itself. The meals are often particularly rich and substantial, in the tradition of the Christian feast day celebration, and form a significant part of gatherings held to celebrate the arrival of Christmastide. In many cases, there is a ritual element to the meal related to the religious celebration, such as the saying of grace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potluck</span> Communal gathering where each guest contributes a different dish of food to be shared

A potluck is a communal gathering where each guest or group contributes a different, often homemade, dish of food to be shared.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thanksgiving (United States)</span> American federal holiday in November

Thanksgiving is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. It is sometimes called American Thanksgiving to distinguish it from the Canadian holiday of the same name and related celebrations in other regions. It originated as a day of thanksgiving and harvest festival, with the theme of the holiday revolving around giving thanks and the centerpiece of celebrations remaining a Thanksgiving dinner. The dinner traditionally consists of foods indigenous to the Americas: turkey, potatoes, squash, corn (maize), green beans, cranberries, and pumpkin pie. Other Thanksgiving customs include charitable organizations offering thanksgiving dinner for the poor, attending religious services, and watching television events such as Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and America's Thanksgiving Parade as well as NFL football games. Thanksgiving is regarded as the beginning of the holiday season, with the day following it, Black Friday, said to be the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thanksgiving</span> Holiday in various countries

Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil, Germany and the Philippines. It is also observed in the Dutch town of Leiden and the Australian territory of Norfolk Island. It began as a day of giving thanks for the blessings of the harvest and of the preceding year. Various similarly named harvest festival holidays occur throughout the world during autumn. Although Thanksgiving has historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, it has long been celebrated as a secular holiday as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkey meat</span> Meat from a turkey

Turkey meat, commonly referred to as just turkey, is the meat from turkeys, typically domesticated turkeys but also wild turkeys. It is a popular poultry dish, especially in North America and the United Kingdom, where it is traditionally consumed as part of culturally significant events such as Thanksgiving and Christmas respectively, as well as in standard cuisine.

<i>Friendsgiving</i> (film) American comedy-drama film

Friendsgiving is a 2020 American comedy-drama film, written, and directed by Nicol Paone in her directorial debut, premiering on October 23, 2020, produced by Saban Films. It stars Malin Åkerman, Kat Dennings, Aisha Tyler, Chelsea Peretti, Christine Taylor, Jane Seymour, Deon Cole, Wanda Sykes, Margaret Cho, Fortune Feimster, Jack Donnelly, and Ryan Hansen. The film received generally negative reviews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decoration Day (tradition)</span> Tradition of group ancestor veneration observances

Decoration Days in Southern Appalachia and Liberia are a living tradition of group ancestor veneration observances which arose by the 19th century. The tradition was subsequently preserved in various regions of the United States, particularly in Utah Mormon culture. While Decoration practices are localized and can be unique to individual families, cemeteries, and communities, common elements unify the various Decoration Day practices and are thought to represent syncretism of Christian cultures in 19th century Southern Appalachia with pre-Christian influences from the British Isles and Africa. Appalachian and Liberian cemetery decoration traditions pre-date the United States Memorial Day holiday.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Fetters, Ashley (2018-11-15). "How Friendsgiving Took Over Millennial Culture". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Where Does 'Friendsgiving' Come From?". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Asmelash, Leah (2021-11-21). "How Friendsgiving found its place in the holiday season". CNN. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  4. ↑ "Coming Together for 'Friendsgiving'", Voice of America, retrieved 2022-11-24
  5. 1 2 3 Shackford, Scott (2022-11-24). "Friendsgiving is cultural flourishing, not cultural decay". Reason.com. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "What Exactly Is Friendsgiving And Where Did The Holiday Come From?". Delish. 2022-10-12. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  7. 1 2 "Young Americans' loneliness sets the table for Friendsgiving". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  8. ↑ Jones, Dustin (2022-11-21). "The Bidens spend Friendsgiving with Marines, sailors and their families in N.C." NPR. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  9. ↑ Presecky, Georgi (October 23, 2020). "New Jersey Native Makes Directorial Debut With 'Friendsgiving'". Patch. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.