Americans gathered in New York on Thursday to view the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, an annual parade sponsored by the chain of mid-to-high range American department stores.

The three-hour event, which has been held since 1924, features gigantic balloons representing favourite cartoon and comic characters, floats and dance teams. The arrival of Santa Claus at the parade's finale marks the start of the Christmas season. Other parades are held in Detroit and Philadelphia.

Thanksgiving Day, which is also observed by Canadians, is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. It was historically a religious observation to give thanks to God, but it is also celebrated as a secular holiday.

The first Thanksgiving, dating back to 1621, was celebrated to thank God for helping the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony survive through the winter. The first feast lasted three days, providing enough food for 53 pilgrims and 90 Native Americans. The feast consisted of fowl, venison, fish, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin and squash. However, the traditional Thanksgiving menu today often features turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. The day after Thanksgiving, called Black Friday, is often the single busiest shopping day of the holidays, which accounts for nearly one-fifth of the retail industry's annual sales.

Last year, retailers posted the worst performance in nearly four decades after the start of a global financial crisis. But yesterday consumers kicked off the holiday shopping season with a strong turnout for early-morning bargains, though many said they were being more selective about what they buy and paring back what they spend.