In 1620 a group of people, called Pilgrims ,crossed the Atlantic Ocean from England to America to start a new life in a new land.Their trip was 65 days long. During the trip many people fell ill and one person died. They arrived at Plymouth and they decided to settle there because it had an excellent harbour and a river with fish. Also, the local native people were peaceful.
The first winter was very cold and long.Many of them died during the winter because there wasn't enough food. In 1621 two native people came into Plymouth; one of them, Squanto, decided to stay to help the Pilgrims. Squanto taught them how to grow corn and other new vegetables. He showed them poisonous and medicinal plants and local food too.
The fall harvest was very successful. the Pilgrims had enough food for the winter. They also had warmer homes and new friends. The Pilgrims decided to celebrate. They invited the native people to join them. During the three-day celebration they ate, played games, ran races and played drums. This celebration is called by most Americans "The first Thanskgiving". Thanksgiving Day is now a public holiday and is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.
The Thanksgiving feast takes a long time to prepare and a long time to eat.
Thanksgiving dinner features many side dishes of fall vegetables like potatoes, squash, corn and pumpkins. Roast turkey stuffed with bread or meat is usually the main meat dish. Turkey is served with a thickened sauce made from the juice from the turkey.This is called gravy. A sauce or jelly is made from cranberries and served with the meat dish.
Dessert is usually a sweet fruit pie made of apples or pumpkin. Appetizers, served at the beginning of the meal, might be pickels, olives or cheeses. Drinks like apple cider, wine, water or coffee are served with the meal as well.