The story of Thanksgiving

400 years ago in England, there was a group of people called Puritans.

England, 1620

The Puritans were unhappy because their king would not let them practice their religion.   

King James I of England

Puritans

If the Puritans did not agree to practice the king's religion, they were sent to jail.  When the king finally realized that the Puritans would not change their religion, he told them to leave England.  

In September of 1620, they left England on a ship called the Mayflower and sailed to America. They began to call themselves Pilgrims.

Pilgrims are people that are always trying to find something that they love, or a place where they can be happier. 

The Mayflower

There were one hundred people on the ship: mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters and babies. They were very crowded; it was cold and uncomfortable; the sea was rough and pitched the Mayflower about. They sailed for two months.

100 people! 

In November, the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower saw land. Four men went to shore in search of people and finally found a pretty place to live, where there were fields and running water.

They called this place Plymouth Rock. They began to build houses, but it was very cold and the men had no one to help them. They were tired with the long journey, and cold, and hungry too, because they had little food.

Finally, the season changed to Spring.Some friendly Indians came to stay with the Pilgrims. They showed the Pilgrims how to plant vegetables, like corn and wheat, and harvest food.

When it was Autumn, the Pilgrims harvested the food that they had planted and realized that it had grown so well that they would have enough for the long winter that was coming, thanks to the Indians.

The Pilgrims were thankful that they would now have food to eat for the coming winter. They decided to have a great Thanksgiving party, and invite the friendly Indians. Four men went hunting and brought back wild ducks, geese and turkeys. Then the Pilgrim mothers made the corn and wheat they had grown into bread and cakes, and they had fish and clams from the sea.

The pilgrims and the Indians had a great feast that lasted a week. They ate turkey,                  fish,      deer,                        sweet potatoes,    corn,                       and pumpkin.

Each meal, before they ate anything, the Pilgrims and the Indians gave thanks for the food.

Now, a typical Thanksgiving consists of family and friends gathering together for dinner.   

Turkey is the main dish, and the holiday has picked up the name "Turkey Day" as a result.          Other food at the table includes mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.

In the morning, all the main TV stations broadcast Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. A three-hour parade with floats, giant balloons of cartoon characters, and marching bands wind their way through New York City. The parade closes with Santa Clause, which indicates the start of the Christmas season.    

After dinner, many families watch football. Several teams play on Thanksiving day.

The Friday after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. On Thursday, plans are made, as are shopping lists, because the Christmas season begins on Black Friday.