Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a holiday that
originated as a public festival and is now celebrated on the fourth Thursday of
November. In 1620 Pilgrims had landed on America and settled in an area they
named Plymouth south of where Boston is today. That year, those who had
immigrated had a harsh winter and rations were very limited. Luckily a native American
named Squanto helped them how to grow many things and also how to hunt and
fish. In 1621 the grateful pilgrims invited the native Americans to an autumn
harvest feast that is now known as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations. For
more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual
colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863 that President Abraham Lincoln
proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November. The tradition
has continued for hundreds of years since and is celebrated with lots of
delicious food and wine. Thanksgiving celebration has lost much of its original
religious significance; instead, it now centers on cooking and sharing a
bountiful meal with family and friends. Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving
Day activity, and communities often hold food drives and host free dinners for
the less fortunate.
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