Thanksgiving is a holiday we all know, and many Americans celebrate, but does anyone actually know why? People visit family and friends, eat a big meal and maybe watch a parade with a bunch of giant balloons, but do we ever stop and ask ourselves what or who even started this holiday? And why it has become such a big day in American families.
The first “Thanksgiving” was a harvest feast in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1621. This feast was between the English colonists and the Wampanoag people, celebrating the colonists’ first successful harvest with the help of the Wampanoag. While this was not an annual tradition for the colonists, they had “thanksgivings” for other celebrations such as religious significance and other events. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln announced the last Thursday of November as a national holiday in order to try to help unify the country during the Civil War.
Throughout time, Thanksgiving has taken on many traditions, and looks different for every family. In the end, Thanksgiving is about being grateful and taking a day to spend time with family and friends and reflect about what you have.