Passage 36 The History of Thanksgiving Day
In the United States,the fourth Thursday in November is called Thanksgiving Day. On this day, Americans give thanks for the blessings they have enjoyed during the year. Thanksgiving is usually a family day,celebrated with big dinners and happy reunions. The first American Thanksgiving was held in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621.In 17th century, a group of Pilgrims left England to explore the New World. It was in September of 1620 when their ship called the “Mayflower” left port with 102 men, women, and children on board.
They landed in Province town harbor after 65 days at sea.The Pilgrims were poorly trained and poorly equipped to cope with life in the wilderness.During their first winter in the new land, they suffered tremendously.Poor food, hard work, infectious diseases,and bitterly cold weather killed about half of them. By the end of this terrible first winter,only about 50 remained alive.
One spring morning in 1621,an Indian walked into the little village of Plymouth and introduced himself in a friendly way.Later, he brought the Indian chief, Massasoit, who gave gifts to the people and offered assistance.The Indians of Massasoit’s tribe taught the Pilgrims how to hunt, fish, and grow food.They taught the Pilgrims to use fish for fertilizer in planting corn, pumpkins, and beans.Because of this help from the Indians,the Pilgrims had a good harvest. Governor William Bradford was following an ancient tradition when, in the fall of 1621, he issued a proclamation establishing a day of thanksgiving to God.The governor also decided to use this religious occasion to strengthen the bond of friendship between the Pilgrims and their Indian neighbors. So he invited Chief Massasoit and his braves to share the Thanksgiving feast. The Indians gladly accepted and sent five deer ahead.The Pilgrim men went hunting and returned with turkey and other wild game.The women of Plymouth prepared delicious dishes from corn, cranberries, squash and pumpkins.