Thanksgiving day

Thanksgiving day Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is an important public holiday, celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States. It originated as a harvest festival. Thanksgiving has been celebrated nationally on and off since 1789, after a proclamation by George Washington. It has been celebrated as a federal holiday  every year since 1863, when, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving"

Here is the Thanksgiving story Here is the Thanksgiving story .Long ago, at the beginning of the 17th century, a group of people in England wanted to pray and worship God in their own way. The King controlled the Church of England, and everyone was ordered to go to the same type of church.

Anyone who dared to disobey would be sent to jail Anyone who dared to disobey would be sent to jail. The group of people who wanted to free the Church of England from the King's rule, making it "pure" were known as the Puritans. To escape the rule of the King and his church, around 100 men, women and children left their homeland, Scrooby town with their dream of religious freedom.

They sailed on a ship, the Mayflower It was a long voyage into the unknown, but nobody could imagine how important for history it would be. The English called these people Pilgrims Fathers.

Atlantic crossing was not an easy one, and after meeting terrible storms the ship with brave travellers after six week voyage

landed in Plymouth Massachusetts.

It was December 11, 1620. The cold winter had set in It was December 11, 1620. The cold winter had set in. Behind was a cold ocean, before them was a country full of wild woods and a long winter. The land was strange to them, and nothing seemed familiar.

The winter was long, cold, and very hard for the Pilgrims. Many died.

Without the human help of friendly Indians none of them would have lived till next spring. Only their belief gave them the strength to live. It is this strength the Americans call the spirit of the Pilgrim Fathers. The first winter in the new world was difficult for the Pilgrim Fathers. But when spring came, the Indians helped the newcomers by supplying them with seeds and food,

teaching them about their new home, and giving them the skills needed to survive in a strange, new land. With seeds and plants received from the Native Americans, the Pilgrims planted crops.

The fall harvest was a good one The fall harvest was a good one. To celebrate their good fortune, the Pilgrims had a feast of thanksgiving.

Many foods were cooked for the feast - wild turkey,

duck, and venison were probably served, along with fish, pumpkins, squash, corn, sweet potatoes, and cranberries.

Captain Miles Standish, the leader of the Pilgrims invited all of the Native Americans who had helped them so much during their first year. Everyone had a good day of thanksgiving. The feast lasted for three days!

This harvest feast in 1621 is often called the "First Thanksgiving."

Over the years, the day we now celebrate as Thanksgiving became an important tradition in the United States—a day of giving thanks for all that we have. On this day, even if they live far, family members gather together.

They go to church, receive guests and have Thanksgiving dinner with traditional turkey and pumpkin pie.

This day reminds them of the courage and mighty spirit of the Pilgrim Fathers. It is a significant day for the Americans. In 1941 President Franklin Roosevelt made Thanksgiving a national holiday.