Read, watch and answer the questions:

1. What was the name of the ship? 2. Who were the Puritans?3. What did the Pilgrims sail from England for?4. How long did it take them to cross the Atlantic Ocean?5.What did the Native Indians teach the Pilgrims? 6. Why did the Pilgrims invite their Indian friends for the feast?  7. When was the first Thanksgiving Day celebrated?8. When do the people celebrate this holiday nowadays?9. What is the traditional food of Thanksgiving Day?10. Why is the turkey a symbol of Thanksgiving Day?

There is one day a year when all Americans stay at home with their

families and eat a big dinner.

Even if people live far away from home, the family members gather at the house

of an older relative.

This is Thanksgiving Day.

What are they giving thanks for? Let’s see.

This holiday has a very

long history.

In the year 1620, a ship named the Mayflower brought 102 English men, women

and children to the rocky coast of what is now Massachusetts.

It took them a month or two to cross the ocean as there were no engines on the ship – only sails and the

wind.

You can see the exact replica of this ship near Boston now.

The ship's passengers were Puritans—members of a religious sect which was unpopular in Britain

because its members wanted to reform the Church of England.

This is how they looked.

It was late in the year when the Pilgrims landed and founded the colony they called

Plymouth.

These Pilgrims came to a place inhabited by the American Indians who began settling

there about 25,000 years ago.

The winter was cold, and about half of the Pilgrims died. In the spring the Indians

taught the Pilgrims to plant corn, hunt, and fish.

In October 1621, to celebrate the good harvest, the Pilgrims held a feast.

They cooked dinner of turkey, corn, beans, and pumpkins and invited their Indians

friends to share their feast.

Turkey is a bird native to North America.

For three days they thanked their God for their good harvest

and their happy year in a new country.

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the USA,

proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863.It is still celebrated on the

fourth Thursday of November.

The Fleets. 1907

Many people attend religious services on Thanksgiving Day in the morning.

After services comes a traditional feast.

Turkey with stuffing is the main dish.

Pumpkin pie is the most popular dessert.

Today, families gather together, usually in a home but sometimes in a restaurant,

for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

Stores, classrooms, and homes are decorated with turkeys, pilgrims, Indians, flowers, and

vegetables.

The horn of plenty is a familiar Thanksgiving symbol. It’s also a

popular decoration.

It reminds us that our food comes from the earth.

Thanksgiving in America

is not only giving thanks to God,

one’s country and family members and eating too

much,

it also has such national entertainment as a Thanksgiving Day Parade,

and a professional football game broadcast on TV.

The famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City is part of the traditional celebration.

Millions of people watch it on TV every year.

Santa Claus arrives at the end. His coming marks the beginning of

the Christmas season.

Thanksgiving Day is a time for tradition and sharing.

This is a day on which Charitable organizations and churches provide food or serve dinners for the poor.

They also send baskets of food to the elderly and sick.

There is one more tradition for that day. President pardons a turkey for

Thanksgiving. A lucky turkey is set free and later sent

to a petting zoo.

Here is a tradition of sending and getting greeting cards for the holiday.

Answer the questions:

1. What was the name of the ship? 2. Who were the Puritans?3. What did the Pilgrims sail from England for?4. How long did it take them to cross the Atlantic Ocean?5.What did the Native Indians teach the Pilgrims? 6. Why did the Pilgrims invite their Indian friends for the feast?  7. When was the first Thanksgiving Day celebrated?8. When do the people celebrate this holiday nowadays?9. What is the traditional food of Thanksgiving Day?10. Why is the turkey a symbol of Thanksgiving Day?