what is Thanksgiving [Music] Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated every year in North America this holiday takes place every year on the fourth Thursday in November on this day family and friends gather to cook a large meal with traditional dishes and spend time together [Music] what is the history of Thanksgiving the pilgrims were English Christians who came to America to escape persecution in England due to their religion they had landed in America on their ship the Mayflower in December 1620. first year in Plymouth Colony was very difficult for the pilgrims they slowly built houses out
of logs but had to keep sleeping on the Mayflower for some time they quickly realized how little they knew about starting a colony the native peoples of the area were called the Wampanoag massasoa was the chief in 1621 Massasoit contacted the pilgrims and traded them animal first to keep warm Squanto was another member of the Wampanoag he had lived in Europe as a slave and spoke some English he helped the pilgrims survive the rough winter he taught them to hunt fish and plant corn It is believed that the pilgrims would not have survived without the
kindness of the Wampanoag and the help from Squanto foreign successful harvest the pilgrims held a feast this scene is depicted in various stories and artworks that retell the scene of the Native Americans sharing food with the pilgrims the Wampanoag heard of the feast and brought more food the two groups then shared a feast that lasted for three days this Gathering is referred to as the first Thanksgiving which took place in the fall of 1621. in 1827 writer Sarah josepha Hale campaigned to make Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863 during the turmoil of the Civil War
Abraham Lincoln stated that Thanksgiving would be celebrated on the final Thursday in November finally in 1942 President Franklin D Roosevelt signed a proclamation that designated the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving since then it has become a national holiday and is celebrated every year it must be noted that the first Thanksgiving was a positive interaction between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe without Squanto and the kindness of the Wampanoag people the pilgrims would not have survived in the new world which is why we celebrate friendship and gratitude on this holiday however we must also remember
that there was countless negative experiences with unfair treatment of Native Americans how has Thanksgiving celebrated [Music] this holiday is a vital part of American culture and is the main event occurring in November Thanksgiving is very family focused and mainly a time to practice gratitude and help others in need during the day family and friends spend quality time together by gathering to eat a special meal the traditional Thanksgiving meal includes dishes like sweet potato casserole with marshmallows stuffing green beans cranberry sauce ham mashed potatoes mac and cheese pumpkin pies and we can't forget turkey turn and
talk what are some Thanksgiving traditions in your family [Music] twinkle wishes you and your family a happy and blessed Thanksgiving for more resources and information on Thanksgiving head to twinkle.com
