THE United States has their popular national holiday, Thanksgiving, on the 23rd of November. Nearly everyone is familiar with the family gathering for dinner featuring the famous stuffed turkey and the all-time American pumpkin pie.
Thanksgiving, which is celebrated in The United States, Canada and Liberia, is more than just a celebration to be grateful for the things you’ve got in life, it’s about the coming together of two cultures and how they can help each other.
The origins of Thanksgiving date back to the 17th century when an English ship called Mayflower left Plymouth with over 100 passengers looking for a better life in the New World. After 66 days of travelling by sea, the pilgrims, as they are called now, arrived in America and later established a village named Plymouth. But given the climate and circumstances, half of the pilgrims died.
One of the leaders of the Pawtuxet tribe living in the area visited the pilgrims. He welcomed them by greeting them in English. At that time, the land in America had no ownership, however, it was guarded by the natives, who had an ancestral relation to it.
The pilgrims also met Squanto, another native, who was previously kidnapped and made a slave by an English captain, before escaped and returned home. He taught the pilgrims about the local land and the wonders they could do with it. He also taught them how to heal using herbal medicine, and how to cultivate their crops and survive.With Squanto’s help, the pilgrims forged alliances with local tribes, making it possible for everyone to live in peace.
When the pilgrims had their first successful corn harvest, they celebrated by organising a banquet, which lasted for three days. They invited their native American friends as a gesture of gratitude for having taken them in into their world. This celebration is regarded as the first ever official Thanksgiving. Two years later, the pilgrims had another feast celebrating the end of a long drought. This tradition starting to pass on throughout other New England settlements.
During the American Revolution, The Continental Congress designated a few days for Thanksgiving a year. In 1789, United States’ first president, George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation. He called American to express gratitude for the happy conclusion of this was and the ratification of the U.S Constitution.
In 1817, New York became the first state to officially celebrate Thanksgiving. But it wasn’t until 1863, during the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.
