Thanksgiving day has arrived upon us. Thanksgiving is one of
America’s most treasured holidays and traditions. The American Thanksgiving
holiday began as a feast in the early days of the American colonies almost 400
years ago. In 1620, a boat filled with more than 100 people sailed across the
Atlantic Ocean from England to settle in the New World. This religious group
had begun to question the beliefs of the Church of England and they wanted to
separate from it.
The pilgrims settled in what is now the state of Massachusetts, and their first winter in the New World was difficult. They had arrived too late to grow any crops, and without fresh food, half the colonist died from diseases which the contracted on the voyage from England or starvation. The following spring the Indians befriended the pilgrims and taught them how to grow corn, something the colonist never had done before. They showed them other crops to grow in the unfamiliar soil and how to hunt and fish. In the autumn of 1621, plentiful crops of corn, barley, beans and pumpkins were harvested. The colonists had much to be thankful for, so they planned a feast. They invited the local Indian chief and 90 Indians. The Indians brought deer to roast with the turkeys and other wild game offered by the colonists. The colonists had learned how to cook cranberries and different kinds of corn and squash dishes from the Indians. In following years, many of the original colonists celebrated the autumn harvest with a feast of thanks. After the United States became an independent country, Congress recommended one yearly day of thanksgiving for the whole nation to celebrate. Since then, all the American people travel from anywhere they are to get home with their families and celebrate a feast. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States. The traditional foodstuffs on Thanksgiving are turkey, sweet potatoes, pumpkins and cranberries. There's also a parade celebrated on Thanksgiving, it's called Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, it's located in New York and they have been celebrating this parade since 1924.
The pilgrims settled in what is now the state of Massachusetts, and their first winter in the New World was difficult. They had arrived too late to grow any crops, and without fresh food, half the colonist died from diseases which the contracted on the voyage from England or starvation. The following spring the Indians befriended the pilgrims and taught them how to grow corn, something the colonist never had done before. They showed them other crops to grow in the unfamiliar soil and how to hunt and fish. In the autumn of 1621, plentiful crops of corn, barley, beans and pumpkins were harvested. The colonists had much to be thankful for, so they planned a feast. They invited the local Indian chief and 90 Indians. The Indians brought deer to roast with the turkeys and other wild game offered by the colonists. The colonists had learned how to cook cranberries and different kinds of corn and squash dishes from the Indians. In following years, many of the original colonists celebrated the autumn harvest with a feast of thanks. After the United States became an independent country, Congress recommended one yearly day of thanksgiving for the whole nation to celebrate. Since then, all the American people travel from anywhere they are to get home with their families and celebrate a feast. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States. The traditional foodstuffs on Thanksgiving are turkey, sweet potatoes, pumpkins and cranberries. There's also a parade celebrated on Thanksgiving, it's called Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, it's located in New York and they have been celebrating this parade since 1924.
Fast facts about Thanksgiving:
- Canadians celebrate their own Thanksgiving every October
- Abraham Lincoln declared the national day of Thanksgiving in 1863
- In the US, about 280 million turkeys are sold for the Thanksgiving celebration
- Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving in the US, where it's the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season
- Each Thanksgiving, the president "pardons" a turkey, ensuring that the bird gets to spend the rest of its days living on a farm in Virginia
· Jonathan and Julia
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