Thanksgiving Day, annual national holiday in the United States and Canada celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year. Americans generally believe that their Thanksgiving is modeled on a 1621 harvest feast shared by the English colonists (Pilgrims) of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people.
What actually happened on the first Thanksgiving?
In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states.
Does Thanksgiving have a dark history?
Quite the contrary: the dark history of Thanksgiving is surrounded by tales of blood, brutality, and slaughter. … More specifically, however, it is often said that the current American tradition of Thanksgiving dates back to the establishment of the Plymouth Colony in what today is Massachusetts, in 1620.
How do you explain Thanksgiving to a child?
- Talk about family traditions and tell stories. …
- Talk about your Thanksgiving feast. …
- Be thankful. …
- Share and donate. …
- Create something for Thanksgiving together. …
- Have fun.
What Thanksgiving means to Native American?
Thanksgiving is often thought of as a time fo food and family, but for many Native Americans, Thanksgiving is a reminder of the loss of their land and their people in the centuries that following the Mayflower’s arrival in New England.
What are the traditions for Thanksgiving?
- Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. …
- Break the wishbone for good luck. …
- Eat a traditional Thanksgiving meal. …
- Take a nap. …
- Share what you’re most thankful for. …
- Watch an American football game. …
- Be grateful for Friendsgiving. …
- Run a turkey trot.
Why do we eat turkey on Thanksgiving?
For meat, the Wampanoag brought deer, and the Pilgrims provided wild “fowl.” Strictly speaking, that “fowl” could have been turkeys, which were native to the area, but historians think it was probably ducks or geese. …