THANKSGIVING IN THE UNITED STATES

Thanksgiving in the United States Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the United States. It celebrates the time when settlers (the Pilgrims) went from England to North America. They traveled on a ship called Mayflower and arrived in Massachusetts in December 1620. Later, Native Americans showed the settlers how to grow corn and other crops. In 1621, the settlers and the Native Americans celebrated together the first harvest with a special meal to thank God for His blessings. American people celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. It is a time when families get together. Relatives living in different places gather and celebrate with their families. “I like Thanksgiving because I can get together with my relatives,” says Sara Ford, 58. The entire family sits at the table during dinner to have a traditional meal of roast turkey, cranberry sauce, cooked vegetables such as corn, and pumpkin pie for dessert. “I love the memories of Thanksgiving when I used to go to my grandparents’ and we thanked God for His grace,” says Marion Carter, 15. Thanksgiving marks a sense of gratitude that people feel for all the good things they have in life.