History of Thanksgiving USA

By: Larissa Chalouhi, Staff Reporter, The PawPrint

Thanksgiving in The United States of America is a national holiday, it is celebrated every single year for one day on the date November 25.  Thanksgiving is believed to have started on  a harvest feast shared by the English colonists Plymouth and the Wampanoag people in 1621. 

Plymouth was a group of people that was originally from Great Britain and they sailed from England to explore land that had been spotted by Captain John Smith who was an English soldier, colonial government, and admiral to the army.  The Wampanoag was a tribe of North Americans who first arrived in America before any Europeans. 

The meaning of the name Wampanoag  means ‘people of the first light’. The reason why this harvest feast occurred in the first place is because it was the very first time that the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag had a successful harvest. 

Nowadays, people all over the world celebrate Thanksgiving with new modern traditions like breaking the wishbone, it is crucial to Turkeys as it manages it’s whole flight mechanics meaning without this the feathers won’t be functioning. Two people grab each end of the wishbone and make a wish and snap it at the same time, it is believed that whoever breaks the bigger half of the bone would have their wish granted. 

Another thing that is commonly done when celebrating Thanksgiving is to say what you are grateful for as in 1621 the ancient people were grateful for their harvest which is why it is tradition to give thanks and pay it forward.  This gives us a chance to share with the dinner table what or who you are grateful for and why. 

Thanksgiving is an important holiday because it is a holiday to spread gratitude and thankfulness as well as being with the people that you love most. It is a selfless holiday because you are expressing gratitude to your family and friends. Another reason why Thanksgiving is celebrated and enjoyed by many different kinds of people around the world is because of the dinner or gathering with family and friends as well as a traditional delicious homemade feast.