Thanksgiving is a holiday in the United States and Canada when people give thanks. In the United States, it is on the fourth Thursday of November. In Canada, it is on the second Monday of October. The event that Americans commonly call the "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first feast in the New World in October 1621.
Half of the Pilgrims from Mayflower died during their first winter in North America. They were cold and did not have enough food. The following year, though, the Native Americans, who were from the Wampanoag tribe, helped them grow crops. At harvest time in the autumn of 1621 they were very thankful that they had a good crop of food to eat during the coming winter. Pilgrims thanked God and the Native Americans for teaching them how to grow the local foods. They invited three of the Wampanoags who had helped them to their feast. They were Squanto, Samoset, and Chief Massasoit. The Wampanoags brought their families. This was over 90 people. There were so many people that the Pilgrims did not have enough food to make the meal, so the Wampanoags brought along their own food for the feast.
Some more interesting historical facts about Thanksgiving day: - In 1621, Thanksgiving was a three-day celebration that involved the consumption of geese, ducks, and deer, primarily. While Turkey was not the centerpiece of the meal. - In 1941, congress made Thanksgiving a federal holiday, reserving the fourth Thursday in November for its celebration. - Pumpkin pie was not a part of the first Thanksgiving feast in 1621, but today maintains its status as America's favorite Thanksgiving pie. - Cornucopia was also not used during First Thanksgiving, and became important attribute of the feast much later due to its symbolic role of abundance and nourishment in Roman-Greek mythology. - In 2017, up to 17% of people have skipped Thanksgiving dinner to wait in line for Black Friday deals.
