Thanksgiving - a brief History

Thanksgiving - a brief History

by Claudio's English

​1. Although it is unsure when the first Thanksgiving dinner actually took place, the United States celebrates it every 4th Thursday of November. In Canada, it’s always celebrated on the 2nd Monday of October. Most businesses are closed, and children don’t go to school for 4 days. People travel across the country to be with their families

and celebrate being reunited with a big dinner. It’s a time to be thankful for all that they have.

​2. The tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving was started by Native American Indians and Pilgrims. It is believed that the Pilgrims were people who traveled from England to Holland and half-way around the world to America to escape persecution and find religious freedom.

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​3. In the year 1620, 102 men, women and children traveled across the Atlantic Ocean on a ship called the Mayflower.

They arrived on the north east coast of what is now North America, and started a colony at a place they called Plymouth.

​4. It was already winter when they arrived and too late to grow crops. They immediately started to build small houses. It was a long, cold winter and half of the settlers became sick. By spring, many of them died.

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​5. The Native American Indians gave the Pilgrims food and taught them how to survive in their new home. They

showed them how to grow corn, how to hunt and which plants they could eat. So, the Pilgrims were able to continue their new life with a sense of hope. Everyone now had food and a home. The Indians and the Pilgrims soon became allies, and later signed a peace treaty.

​6. To celebrate the excellent harvest and new relationships, the governor of the new colony invited the Native Americans for a large feast. The Indians brought five deer, goose, duck, turkey, fish, shellfish, and fruit and vegetables such as pumpkin. The celebration continued for three days.

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​7. Now almost 400 years later, many people think that the story of how Thanksgiving started is just that - a story.

In modern times, "Turkey Day" (an informal name for Thanksgiving), is a special holiday for both Americans and

Canadians. Although there are slight differences, the two countries agree that roast turkey is the symbol of this holiday dinner. For Americans, no Thanksgiving meal would be complete without corn on the cob, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, yams, cranberry sauce and of course the famous pumpkin pie. With so many dishes to be prepared for this one evening, most of the family helps out in the kitchen. To prepare the turkey, first it is stuffed with a seasoned bread mix and then roasted. When it’s cooked it’s served and carved at the table and families feast together.

​8. Many organizations in America prepare free Thanksgiving meals for those that are less fortunate. In NYC, The Feeding NYC project prepares and sends food to over 35,000 families for this holiday.

9. The city also holds an annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with floats and balloons.

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​10. Thanksgiving traditions vary depending on the region, but playing backyard football on Turkey Day with family and friends has been a tradition across the country since the 19th century. The NFL traditionally holds a series of games played during the Thanksgiving weekend in the U.S.

11. The annual White House tradition of pardoning the turkey is televised and watched by millions. Turkeys have been

given to presidents for Thanksgiving for years, but the first official pardoning happened in 1989 when George Bush

senior saved a turkey from ending up on the table as the main course of Thanksgiving dinner.

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Multiple Choice

1. Thanksgiving is always celebrated in early November.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

2. The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted one day.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

3. The settlers were able to grow crops immediately in America.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

4. Many of the settlers didn’t make it through the first winter.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

5. The Indians brought very little food to the first Thanksgiving.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

6. Every year the president saves a turkey from being eaten on Thanksgiving.

• True

• False