Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is the most important of all the traditional holidays of America and is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday of November. It is a celebration of a good harvest or a good year and the health of family and friends. People who are religious see Thanksgiving Day as a revelation of belief and gratitude to God; for others, Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends to come together one last time before Christmas.
History and background
The church services in England were full of rituals and the people had to follow strict practices laid
down by the bishop. Some people who did not agree with all that was asked of them decided to ‘purify the church’ and came to be known as ‘puritans’. They wanted a church without deans or bishops or any sacraments except baptism and communion. On 6th September, 1620 some 100 odd people set sail for the New World and called themselves ‘Pilgrims’. The trip was cold and damp and took 65 long days. They landed at a safe place and promptly named it ‘Plymouth’ after their original home.
The Pilgrims reached Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620 but their first winter was devastating. Within ten months they had lost 46 of the original 102 who had sailed. The harvest of 1621 was abundant and the remaining colonists decided to celebrate with a feast. They invited 91 Indians who had helped them survive their first year. It is believed that the Pilgrims would not have made it through the year without the help of the natives. The feast lasted three days. In 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving dinner
The whole family looks forward to the dinner at Thanksgiving and people prepare turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. They invite friends and family and eat together and give thanks for all good things in life.