The American Flag

The Recipe Box

Family Tradition

It has become customary to keep favorite Family Recipes in a special container called "The Recipe Box". All of the secret ingredients that go into The Family's favorite meals are written on Recipe Cards. The Recipe Box is a Family Heirloom (сімейна реліквія) and its contents are priceless. Newlywed couples usually buy The Recipe Box early in their marriage and spend a lifetime together gathering the recipes that become their favorites.

Family Tradition

It has become customary to fly The Flag on National Holidays, and many people now fly The Flag daily from their homes. This action demonstrates Patriotism and Loyalty to our Country and Honors the sacrifice of all who have made this Great Nation possible.

A national Thanksgiving Day is perhaps the only holiday spent by the Americans at home.

The pilgrims’ (Europeans who came to America in search of better life) first winter in the New World was very difficult. They had arrived too late to grow many crops. Without fresh food half of the pilgrims died. The following spring the Indians(native Americans) taught the pilgrims how to hunt, fish, plant and survive in America. The crops did well and in the fall of 1621 pilgrims had a great harvest. They were thankful and decided to celebrate with a Thanksgiving feast. They prepared a dinner of turkey, corn, beans and pumpkins. They invited their Indian friends to share this feast. The Indians brought food for the feast too (they even brought popcorn! ). Americans still celebrate Thanksgiving Day in autumn. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. Turkey is still the main dish and pumpkin pie is the most popular dessert.

Still another American tradition concerns Halloween. Its origin dates back hundreds of years to the Druid festival. The Druid New Year began on November 1, marking the beginning of winter and the reign of the Lord of Death.

The custom of telling ghost stories on Halloween comes from the Druids.

On this occasion children usually wear ghost costumes or false faces.

They also carve out rounded eyes in pumpkins and put burning candles inside them to make them visible from far away.