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Of course, most emoji from the standard Unicode set can be interpreted in different ways. Plus, a lot depends on the context. But there are also icons on our gadgets that we use most often in specific situations, associated with only one emotion or event. Today we’re going to talk about just such an emoticon – The Turkey Emoji. After all, despite the fact that it is an image of an animal, in most cases we use it in messages related to Thanksgiving.
🦃 The Turkey Emoji was assigned the code U+1F983, with which it was added to the Animals and Nature section of the Unicode 8.0 standard in 2015.
The turkey is a large bird of the turkey genus, family Pheasantidae. The closest relatives of turkeys are grouse and partridges, most of which are native to North America. Wild turkeys are native to east-central North America and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The earliest turkeys evolved more than 20 million years ago.
These birds are some of the largest birds in their range, with the male being larger and much brighter than the female. Males weigh from 8 kilograms with a height of up to 110 centimeters. Female turkeys up to 85 centimeters tall usually weigh half as much.
The wild turkey is a variety of the common turkey that was domesticated more than 2,000 years ago. This bird was domesticated by the Aztec Indians, and after them further breeding was carried out by Americans and Europeans.
For centuries turkey was the prerogative of the rich and middle class, and only after the Second World War, when its cultivation became cheaper, turkey became the favorite Christmas bird of the population of English-speaking countries. In America, the turkey is the main symbol of Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Day became a national holiday after the relevant decree of the first president of the country George Washington in 1789 – he proposed to celebrate it annually on November 26. In 1864, at the end of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November of each year as Thanksgiving Day, and in 1941 the U.S. Congress passed a bill legislating the date of celebration on the fourth Thursday of November.
Thanksgiving is associated with a number of traditions that Americans hold sacred and observe. All members of the family must go to church, and after the service gather around a festive table.
The first most important attribute of Thanksgiving is the turkey. At the first feast, colonists and Indians roasted and shared four turkeys shot in the nearby woods. Since then, turkey and Thanksgiving have become synonymous, and poultry farmers fatten turkeys especially for the holiday.
Thanksgiving is a special holiday for Americans. They prepare for it with no less enthusiasm than they do for Christmas. And despite the fact that it is still a family holiday, people congratulate all friends and acquaintances on Thanksgiving. So the turkey emoji is indispensable these days.
Actually, the unofficial name of the Turkey Emoji is “Thanksgiving”, but to make your congratulations even brighter you can use this emoticon in combination with Cheers emoji 🥂, American Flag 🇺🇸, House 🏡, or add an image of a corn 🌽 and pumpkin as they are also usual ingredients for the Thanksgiving dining table.
Thanksgiving Day is an annual national holiday in the United States and Canada when people celebrate the harvest and remember all the blessings of the year. The turkey has become the main symbol of this day over the centuries of celebration, so use the Turkey emoji for messages and posts in which you wish your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving, or tell them how you spent this wonderful holiday.